In Pursuit Of Vengeance
by Maiika
Summary: Raditz took a different approach when meeting Goku, resulting in a successful retrieval of his brother. Goku's introduction to the planetary trade sparked a change as the third class Saiyan's presence stirred up trouble the Saiyans, Frieza and his men didn't see coming, leading to a much different Dragon Ball story. *Complete*
1. A Different Approach, A Different Result

A/N: I've had this idea for a while, decided to get the story started and see where it goes. I always wondered how things would have gone if Raditz took Goku just like he planned, and knowing Vegeta's back story, what exactly Raditz would have been thinking Goku would do for them if it worked. Everyone will stay true to character, though dramatic events may cause shifts in personality, similar to how Vegeta changed over the course of DBZ. The beginning in italics is almost ver batim DBZ episode, just so you know where this is starting, then the storyline diverges where the italics end.

* * *

 _"That boy is your son, isn't he?" The newest arrival to planet Earth asked as he eyed the fearfully trembling tailed boy behind the Earth's strongest fighter._

 _"N-no!" Goku vehemently denied as he protectively stood between his self-proclaimed older brother and his young son._

 _"There's no use denying it." Raditz remarked confidently as he inspected the boy. "That tail is proof of that child's Saiyan blood. And since his father isn't cooperating, I'll just have to take him in his father's place." Raditz said coolly as he took a step towards Gohan._

 _Goku braced himself to defend against his much stronger brother, though he knew he had no chance against him alone. Even with help, Raditz's devastating power would be hard to combat._

 _"Stay back!" Goku warned as daringly as he could while Raditz chuckled and charged at him._

 _Raditz struck Goku in the gut with his knee, using so much power that he took the accomplished fighter down in one move. Raditz crossed his arms and sneered in disgust at his brother's undeveloped power. He glanced over his shoulder at the group of his brother's friends, gawking at Raditz and frowning fearfully as his nephew ran to his father._

 _Raditz smirked as he swiped the boy by the collar of his shirt and lifted him to prevent the boy from reaching his father._

"Maybe I should take out everyone here right now. They're making you weak, Kakarot! I'd hate to kill my own nephew if I don't have to, but maybe once they're out of the way, you'll realize your true nature!" Raditz exclaimed as he raised his free hand threateningly to the wiggling, crying boy in his grasp while the rest of the group gasped and cowered helplessly before him.

Goku winced in pain as he forced himself to sit up slightly, facing his brother and seeing the helpless, terrified looks on the faces of his friends and son.

"Get up, Goku! Fight him!" Krillin yelled encouragingly as Goku grimaced, realizing that was impossible at the moment.

"Wait!" Goku exclaimed desperately just as Raditz was forming a ball of ki in his hand.

Raditz raised a brow in surprise as he turned to face his fallen brother.

"I'll go with you!" Goku cried as he fell back from the exertion it took just to utter those few words after that devastating blow from his brother.

Raditz walked over to Goku, standing over his younger brother with a look of amusement. "I can understand the boy. But do you really care that much about these Earthlings? You would sacrifice yourself and come with me when you have no desire to, just to save their worthless lives?" Raditz scowled as he bent on one knee, studying his brother closely. "Or maybe you _do_ feel the excitement for bloodshed boiling in your veins?" Raditz said with a smirk.

Goku closed his eyes, picturing the happy, peaceful time he had spent with his family over the past few years, as well as the joyful memories and all the adventures from earlier times with his friends. He wouldn't change a thing about any of it. And now this threat came here because of him. He couldn't be responsible for letting that threat harm anyone on Earth, especially not his friends and family. But Raditz was just too powerful to fight, and he intended to kill his friends right now if he didn't do something. He would leave and take the threat with him. He would do it to protect the Earth that had treated him so well.

"Yes! But you have to promise to leave them and the rest of the Earth unharmed." Goku said forcefully as he began catching his breath and propped himself on his elbows again with some effort.

"Alright." Raditz easily relented as he stood upright again.

"Goku, no!" Bulma shouted.

Raditz released Gohan, who scrambled to his feet before running to join the group. Bulma wrapped her arms around Gohan, who cried for his dad.

"You can't trust this guy!" Krillin said angrily.

Goku slowly sat up, looking miserable as he faced his friends while Raditz shook his head at their pathetic pleas.

"Trusting him is our only chance." Goku relented dubiously as he glared at Raditz.

Everyone's eyes became downcast.

"What else can I do?" Goku said, "He _is_ my brother. All he wants is my hand in conquering this other planet. If I go with him, at least I'll know you're all safe."

Even as his friends looked saddened by the talk of such a sacrifice, Goku remained determined.

"Yeah, yeah. So where is your space pod, Kakarot?" Raditz asked impatiently as the others scowled at him.

Goku looked to Master Roshi's solemn face. "Did my grandpa tell you where he found me as a baby, Oldtimer?"

"W-Where?" Master Roshi asked, startled at the attention he suddenly received from everyone, including Raditz. "I think he found you close to his house. He said there was a huge crater. I imagine that crater would still be there." Master Roshi frowned.

"You know this place then, Kakarot?" Raditz asked as he turned to Goku, who was rising to his feet, clasping his stomach with one hand in lingering pain.

"Yeah." Goku said absently as he looked upon his whimpering son who clung tightly to Bulma in her protective arms. "Gohan." Goku called the boy's name encouragingly as Gohan sniffled and turned to face his father with a hopeful gaze. "Tell your mother I'm sorry I had to leave. Take care of her for me, okay?"

Goku's endearing optimism made Gohan smile meekly in light of the recent decision his father had made. Gohan nodded dutifully, running to his father for one last hug before tears welled in his eyes again.

"And no more crying!" Goku ordered sternly as he maintained his optimistic air. "You need to be strong now."

Raditz smirked at his brother's forceful words. "Well said." Raditz commended as Goku turned to him in surprise. "Spoken like a true Saiyan, Kakarot."

Goku received the praise like a painful blow. The last thing he wanted was Raditz's praise, or to be a Saiyan at the moment.

Goku glared at Raditz before turning to his friends. "I guess this is goodbye." Goku said so plainly that one would have thought he was only going home for the day, rather than leaving the planet for good.

"Goku..." Bulma said sadly, reaching for her friend and embracing him briefly.

Goku stood still, surprised at the affectionate embrace.

"Let's go, Kakarot!" Raditz growled irritably. He tired of waiting to leave this planet of weaklings. He was anxious to get his brother training, so he would be of some use when they landed at their destination.

"Hey!" Bulma shouted audaciously, turning from Goku to the other Saiyan. "Your brother is leaving his home and everyone he cares about for good! You can't give him five minutes to say goodbye?!" She shouted indignantly, getting right in Raditz's face as he balked in surprise.

"Bulma..." Turtle warned warily as he tugged on Bulma's shorts, attempting to pull her away from the vicious alien she probably just pissed off.

To everyone's surprise, Raditz turned to Goku with a conceited chuckle. "She's a feisty one, huh?" He asked as he cast a sideways glance at Bulma. "Maybe I should take her with us."

Bulma gasped and frowned fearfully at him.

"No!" Goku said with an obstinate glare. "I'll only go willingly if you leave them all alone!"

Raditz frowned at his brother. "Fine, fine. Once we get where we're going, we won't have time for women anyways." Raditz groaned disappointedly as he gave Bulma one last look over.

"Goku. Don't go." Krillin said sadly, pulling on the front of Goku's gi as his eyes watered over and his bottom lip trembled.

"I'm sorry, Krillin." Goku said with a frown. "I have to do this, for everyone on Earth. It's my fault he's here. I'll be alright." He added with a reassuring smirk. "My brother's not completely wrong about me. If I'm going somewhere to train and fight, it can't be that miserable where I'm headed."

Krillin and Master Roshi frowned at Goku's uplifting manner in disbelief.

"Look after my family for me, Krillin." Goku said as he moved to stand beside Raditz.

Krillin nodded determinedly as Raditz slapped Goku on the back. "Lead the way, Kakarot!" He said with a smirk as Goku reluctantly shot into the air towards his home.

They flew towards Mt. Paozu, and then past his house, searching the surrounding area for any signs of a crater. Raditz pushed a few buttons on his scouter, and Goku looked at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Goku asked.

Raditz appeared to be concentrating on something. "The scouter should be able to detect any nearby ships. If you landed here, it will help us find your space pod." Raditz explained as he narrowed his eyes and abruptly turned his head to the left. "There!"

The scouter began beeping with odd symbols flashing across it. Goku narrowed his eyes at Raditz as he saw an opportunity. With Raditz distracted like that, Goku might be able to take him by surprise in an attack. If he could grab his tail, it might weaken him like the weakness he used to experience. Then he could send him away from Earth in the space pod.

Goku waited for the right moment, and as Raditz began descending, he quickly launched at his brother, taking him off-guard. Goku threw his fist into Raditz's face and attempted to grab his tail, but Raditz was too fast, quickly spinning around and knocking Goku across the head before he could grasp the weak appendage. Raditz followed the blow with another devastating punch in Goku's already-injured gut, causing Goku to double over with a pained grunt.

"Hn!" Raditz scoffed angrily, as he rubbed his jaw. "Nice try. I can't blame you for trying to attack me once. But don't attack me again, or I _will_ kill you." Raditz warned ominously.

"I thought you needed me." Goku choked out at Raditz as he winced in pain, balling his fists tightly by his sides.

"I do. But not if you're going to be a problem." Raditz replied resentfully.

Goku frowned deeply. His chance was missed, and as much as it was against his nature to cooperate with something like this, he had to keep reminding himself that it was the only way to save the others.

The two descended as soon as Raditz located the space pod and inspected the long abandoned vehicle. Raditz tore away the vines that had grown over it, then gestured for Goku to take a look inside. Goku cast Raditz a suspicious glance as he stepped past his brother to look inside the vessel that brought him to Earth. Strangely, in spite of his memory loss, Goku found the sight of this space pod familiar. He gasped as he looked inside it.

Raditz crossed his arms haughtily as he watched his brother's reaction. "I don't know why you're fighting this, Kakarot. Saiyans are not meant to live on peaceful planets. You'll be much happier in the fold with the rest of us."

Raditz leaned into the pod, shoving Goku aside as he activated a few buttons, the lights and sounds stuttering to activity in the long-dormant ship. "Once you arrive at the space station, you should have a better understanding of things. Just wear this." Raditz offered Goku a small item from inside the space pod. Goku knit his brows in confusion as he held his hand out to receive the item. A pristine, blue lensed-scouter similar to the one Raditz wore was placed in his hand.

Goku looked back into the space pod with curiosity. "This...is mine?"

"Yes. Though you've never touched it. It was meant to help you accomplish your mission and communicate to us when your mission was completed." Raditz became distracted as he turned his head thoughtfully from Goku. "Speaking of which..." Raditz suddenly shoved Goku into the space pod, sealing the hatch shut with the push of a button and slapping it hard as it began hovering above the ground.

Goku stumbled inside the ship, then turned to his brother in alarm, pounding on the window of the sealed space pod. "Raditz!"

"I'll be right behind you, Kakarot." Raditz said. "I just have a job to finish first."

Goku's ship lifted high and fast into the atmosphere. Goku hurriedly affixed the scouter to his ear and pushed every button he could, trying to reach Raditz as he could no longer communicate with him from inside his quickly ascending ship. "Raditz! Raditz!" He called anxiously as a strange gas began to fill his chamber.

" _Rest up, Kakarot. You'll need it."_ Raditz's voice advised over the scouter.

"Raditz! You promised!" Goku yelled as he gasped and covered his mouth, attempting to ward off the effects of the gas.

The last thing Goku saw before his eyes rapidly grew heavy and sleep took him was Raditz flying above Mt. Paozu, heading back towards Kame House.

* * *

As a small white spacepod rocketed from the Earth's atmosphere, flashes of lights and wild explosions could be seen on the surface of the planet from space. Goku slept in the confinement of his pod, the scouter subliminally programming his mind as he slept with all of the data he should have known at the time his mission began over two decades ago. The nature of his mission, to whom he was to report, the coordinates for his return location, and uses for the scouter being relayed to him over his two month flight to a new space station, and a new life.


	2. Space Station 62-6

" _Wake up, Kakarot. Approaching Space Station 62-6._ " Goku opened his eyes to the sound of a robotic, feminine voice in his ear. He looked around in shock for a moment, having forgotten his whereabouts and being startled by the confining surroundings of his space pod and the black emptiness of space outside the window.

"Where am I?" He breathily wondered aloud as he rubbed his eyes, expecting no response.

" _In space, approaching your destination_." The same voice responded, to his surprise. " _Prepare for landing_."

Goku raised his brows dubiously. Just what was he supposed to do to prepare? He frowned as he glanced out the window and finally caught sight of the approaching massive space station. The place looked very high-tech and had to be as big as a planet. Suddenly, Goku felt an abrupt pull, as if something had just grabbed a hold of his pod. He clung to the seat and frowned worriedly as the pull continued and he descended slowly towards the landing docks. His pod jolted harshly when it touched the landing pad, then made a loud hiss as the hatch opened on the ground. As Goku climbed out of the pod, an orange-skinned, harmless looking alien with an electronic reading device and clothing resembling a lab coat stood by expectantly.

"Ah, you must be Kakarot." The humanoid, tangerine-skinned alien greeted in a polite tone as he ran his fingers through his orange mop of hair and reached for the writing instrument behind his ear.

Goku startled, stepping back and observing the polite alien curiously as it reached out and inspected his hands and head with scientific interest. The alien alternated between writing on its device and scrutinizing Goku's appearance as Goku looked on in bewilderment.

"Goku." Goku corrected, making the alien pause in surprise.

"What? We were told to expect a Saiyan named Kakarot." The alien narrowed his eyes, studying Goku's appearance closely. "You look like a Saiyan." He added suspiciously.

Goku sighed in exasperation. "I am the person you expected, but my _name_ is Goku."

He gasped loudly when the distraction of this creature and his disorienting awakening began to fade and memories flooded back to him of what had happened before his travel through space. Goku looked around anxiously at the busy aliens in uniforms resembling Raditz's armor, working around him at the launch pad and the nearby loading docks.

Grasping the alien's shoulders tightly with both his hands and shaking insistently, Goku asked, "Can you tell me what happened on planet Earth?"

The alien slowly reached to click on his red-lensed scouter. "Earth?" He widened his eyes in realization as he read the foreign characters flashing across the lens of the scouter, and then looked at Goku with a laugh. "Well, you should know. You and Raditz purged the planet for sale just a few months ago."

With another dismissive laugh, he lowered his eyes to his writing device, oblivious to Goku's furious glare and flare in ki at the terrible news. Raditz purged Earth. Could there have been survivors? Raditz would have targeted Goku's friends first. He remembered seeing Raditz head towards Kame House before everything went black. No one on Earth could have matched Raditz's strength, not even Piccolo. With Raditz's scouter, it was unlikely that anyone could hide. Goku's heart wrenched at the news as he painfully realized that no one could have survived. They were all dead.

The alien's scouter beeped and he clicked it to begin speaking as if taking a phone call. "Ah, speaking of Raditz, this is him now."

Goku hastily reached for the alien's scouter as the alien expressed formalities over his communication. Then Goku remembered what he had learned about the devices during his flight. He quickly clicked his on, listening in on the conversation with Raditz. "Raditz!" Goku angrily interrupted the conversation, clenching his teeth in fury. "Did you really do it?!"

" _Of course._ We _did."_ Raditz respond pointedly over the device as the other alien studied Goku curiously. _"After all, we would not be received well, returning without a successful purge, brother. You should know that."_

Raditz's voice was tense, and Goku cocked his brows curiously. What was Raditz talking about? What would happen if they returned without purging the Earth? He furiously shook his head as he disregarded those thoughts. That didn't matter, anyways. The Earth's inhabitants should have been unharmed.

"We had a deal! You promised you wouldn't hurt them!" Goku exclaimed, too furious to contain his rage in spite of Raditz's attempts at warning him.

" _Stop being an idiot! I'll be there shortly. Don't do anything stupid, Kakarot. Just lay low. Mengo will show you around until I arrive."_ Raditz instructed strictly. _"Right, Mengo?"_

The orange-hued alien standing in front of Goku nodded. "Yes, of course, Raditz." He said humbly before communication cut off.

Goku grit his teeth, focusing his gaze on the ground. Judging by the way Raditz talked, and all the things he had learned from the scouter during his time in space, Goku was outmatched in strength here. Something which was hard to swallow right now, after being the strongest person on Earth. Especially when all he wanted to do was avenge his friends and family, and all the innocent people on the Earth that his brother had brutally murdered.

Megan began walking towards a door to the building in front of which Goku landed. "Come along, Kakarot."

After a moment, Mengo turned around, realizing Goku did not respond and wasn't following. "Or…Goku, was it?" Mengo tried again, still getting no response. "I'll show you to your room." He added encouragingly, cocking his head at Goku's fixed, downward gaze and inattentive frown.

"Or first I could get you something to eat?" He tried again. Finally, Goku's head raised just a bit, and Mengo nodded to himself with a smirk. "Saiyans." He scoffed light-heartedly as he began walking again, noting that this time, Goku was slowly following.

The Mess Hall was more than an appropriate name for the place where Mengo led Goku. Food was being slung across tables, aliens were engaging in confrontations throughout the place, and many varieties of bizarre foods were available, which were accompanied by a strange intermingling of odd aromas from the alien foods. Goku huffed to himself, for once feeling like he had lost his appetite.

Goku realized that nothing he could do now could make things better again. The Earth's entire population was gone. His son. His wife. His friends. Even Kami. And the Dragonballs. He couldn't even wish everyone back, like he had been able to do so many times before when people important to him were lost. All he had left was Raditz, his brother who was the cause of it all.

"I know how much nourishment you Saiyans normally require. You better fill up before you meet with Lord Frieza." Mengo prodded helpfully as he noticed Goku standing and staring blankly into the Mess Hall.

"Meet with Lord Frieza?" Goku asked absently in a low voice as his thoughts remained fixed on his recent losses.

"Yes. He will be arriving here in twenty hours."

Goku continued looking somber and distracted.

Mengo shook his head and continued. "He has demanded an audience with you. Seeing that there are so few Saiyans left in the universe, I believe he is quite curious to meet you since hearing of your brother's discovery of your survival."

Goku nodded dully at Mengo's matter-of-fact statement. That was unexpected news. He remembered some information from his flight about Lord Frieza, supposedly the ruler of the universe. So much for Raditz's advice to lay low. Refusing the meeting or attending the meeting, Goku wasn't remaining inconspicuous for long. As Goku joined the line to retrieve some food, Mengo waited patiently near the exit of the Mess Hall, overseeing the newcomer's behavior.

Goku settled with a heaping pile of odd, indistinguishable foods at an empty table and prepared to eat. He would have much rather been in his home at Mt. Paozu, having Chi-Chi smiling at him as she offered him _her_ cooking while Gohan sat beside him. But as he sniffed the food, his stomach grumbled demandingly, so the strange food there would have to do for the time being. After the first bite, Goku's vigorous appetite distracted him from his grief. He busily began gobbling down his food to fill the two month lack of sustenance. It didn't take long for someone to plop on the bench beside him.

"So you're the new Saiyan." The alien beside him taunted as Goku obliviously continued eating.

He was so deep in his meal that he paid no mind at all to the alien beside him, angering the already hostile being.

The purple, scaly-skinned alien slapped the table angrily to catch Goku's attention, his fish-like top lip turning up in a snarl. "I'm talking to you, Saiyan!"

The loud yell caught the attention of many surrounding beings as well as Goku, who stopped his eating of the alien foods to look blankly at the alien. "Okay. So talk."

Goku's open response was viewed by the instigator and their audience as a show of bravado. "Why, you!" The alien exclaimed, standing over Goku and clenching his fist in threat.

He grabbed Goku by the lapel of his gi, baring his teeth as he pulled Goku closer. Goku frowned at the hostile act before glaring back at the alien who refused to let him loose. He knew now this guy was serious, and he could sense that this alien was much stronger than Raditz. It was incredible to him that there could be so much overwhelming power in the universe. It was also frustrating to know that he was nowhere near reaching his full potential. He needed to train right away. If he'd get the chance. The alien pulled his fist back and Goku winced as he braced for the impact, knowing he had no choice but to withstand it.

"Cui!" A voice shouted across the Mess Hall. Goku opened his eyes in surprise and looked at Mengo, who warningly glared at the alien who threatened him. "Lord Frieza demanded an audience with Kakarot tomorrow. Will I need to explain to him that he never had the chance for that meeting because of _you_?"

Cui sneered at Goku before returning his attention to Mengo with a disbelieving expression. "Lord Frieza, you say?" He looked calculatedly at Goku, observing some readings on his scouter. "Why would he be interested in this one? He's even weaker than Raditz!" Goku growled instinctively at the insult. Cui smirked at Goku's insolence as he pulled his fist back again in a threatening manner. "You're lucky, Saiyan!" Cui reluctantly released Goku, who fell back on the bench with a hard thud.

"My name is Goku." Goku replied in a low and dangerous tone with a defiant glare as Cui looked at him with an aghast expression.

"Come on, Goku." Mengo hurriedly intervened before Cui had the chance to decide to attack again.

Mengo grabbed Goku by the arm, futilely attempting to pull his unmovable figure from the bench, until he went willingly. Goku shoveled the rest of his food in his mouth in one large bite, continuing to glare at Cui as he left the Mess Hall with Mengo. Mengo watched Goku's behavior closely, shaking his head in disbelief as they walked.

Mengo kept a tight hold on Goku's arm. "Thank you for saving my ass back there, Mengo." He remarked facetiously as they hurried down the hall. "Cui could have killed you! He's even more powerful than Vegeta, your prince!"

Goku roughly shook off Mengo's hold as he scowled and continued walking. "He's not _my_ prince." Goku frowned when he caught Mengo frowning in frustration at his bitter tone. "Sorry, Mengo. But I just found out that my friends and family are all dead." Goku walked with a look of determination as they were arriving at a door.

Mengo reached for the panel, hitting a few buttons as he looked at Goku with an apologetic expression. "I didn't know. I'm sorry for your loss." Mengo said in a professional tone as the door slid open with an electronic beep and an airy whoosh.

Goku looked into the cold and sterile, all-white room and startled back, frowning in disappointment at Mengo. "What is this?"

"Your room. This is where you will sleep." Mengo handed Goku a small device, reminiscent of one of Bulma's capsules, which Goku frowned at solemnly before shaking his head and looking at Mengo again. "That's your key. Stick it into the panel, and it will get you in to any room you have access to here."

Goku grasped the key tightly in his fist. "Like the training facilities?"

"R-right." Mengo replied hesitantly with a perplexed expression.

Goku pushed the button on the panel, shutting the door to his tiny institutional room as he stepped away.

"Don't you need to rest, Goku?" Mengo asked.

Goku clicked on his scouter and began walking down the hall, away from Mengo. "No. I need to train."

Goku assumed a determined expression and used the scouter to locate the training facilities. Mengo groaned and followed him, knowing Goku would only get into more trouble on his own. The aggressor would not be the only one held responsible if some unfortunate event were to befall the newly arrived Saiyan before Frieza saw him. Mengo had to look out for himself, which temporarily meant looking out for this Saiyan, at least until his meeting with Lord Frieza.

* * *

"Tell me, Dodoria. What have you learned about our newest recruit?" A grainy voice asked with a slightly demanding undertone as the person in question gave a dutiful nod.

"The Saiyan's name is Kakarot. But...apparently he prefers some other name." Dodoria stood facing the glass-encased panoramic view of empty, starry space before them.

"Oh? And what is that?" The tyrant asked with mild interest.

Dodoria frowned deeply and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "I'm...not sure, Lord Frieza. Please forgive me."

Frieza raised his brows and chuckled lightly in amusement as he turned around to watch Dodoria squirm. "Relax, Dodoria. I'm not going to punish you because you can't remember the second name of a weakling monkey." Frieza cajoled with a smile as Dodoria visibly sighed in relief.

"Speaking of that particular monkey," another man in the room interjected as he emerged from the shadows, "is he _really_ the reason we rushed to this space station, Lord Frieza?" The emerald-haired alien sneered incredulously as he turned to face Frieza.

"Are you questioning me, Zarbon?" Frieza asked, immediately taking a hostile tone.

Zarbon's breath caught in his throat. "No, Lord Frieza. I simply wonder how he could possibly be more significant than any other new recruit."

Zarbon's response was made in a careful, respectful tone as Frieza scrutinized his henchman closely. Frieza narrowed his eyes at Zarbon, whose tension increased as Dodoria watched the interaction silently. Frieza suddenly smirked and raised his hand by his side as Zarbon and Dodoria both flinched.

"Zarbon, Zarbon." Frieza cackled as he waved his fingers lightly before lowering his hand. "You have no business doing my thinking for me. So stop." Frieza said forcefully with a hostile glare.

"Yes, Lord Frieza." Zarbon answered with a small bow.

"As for the Saiyan, he is a _Saiyan_. Have we already forgotten that race's little rebellion?" Frieza asked Dodoria and Zarbon condescendingly.

"No, Lord Frieza." The two lackeys immediately responded.

"Good. Now, follow along _if you can_." Frieza said, maintaining his condescending tone as Dodoria and Zarbon frowned at one another. "You assured me that Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were the only Saiyans left. Now they've found another. What if there are more that we don't know about? Vegeta is no fool." Zarbon and Dodoria exchanged a dubious smirk at that comment. Frieza frowned at his men's brief exchange. "He's not. A stubborn brat maybe." Frieza commented with a guilty shrug. "But if Vegeta becomes strong enough and feels he has enough men behind him, he will rebel against me, just as his father did!"

Dodoria and Zarbon took a step back, distancing themselves carefully from Frieza.

"And I'd hate to have to get rid of him." Frieza chuckled cruelly. "I really have become fond of our monkey prince."

Dodoria and Zarbon relaxed a bit at Frieza's changed mood, until the tyrant began looking around irritably.

"I need to see this Saiyan for myself. Where is he?" Frieza asked impatiently.

Dodoria scurried to put his scouter on and proceeded in a hushed voice to summon someone to bring the Saiyan to Frieza. "He's on his way, Lord Frieza."

Frieza nodded with a frown. "Anything else I should know about him?"

Dodoria wrinkled his brow thoughtfully before nodding to Frieza. "His power level read 416 upon arriving here, and he has been training since he arrived." Frieza and Zarbon scoffed at the small number. "He is Raditz's younger brother. And he's lost his tail. It may be permanent. I don't know how that works." Dodoria shrugged dubiously. "And...he seems to behave differently than the other Saiyans."

Frieza cocked a brow curiously at that comment. "Well, no matter." Frieza decided dismissively, flapping his hand with a pompous shrug. "I don't see any use for a low level monkey who can't even transform. I don't know why Raditz even bothered recruiting him. It's not like he could have helped their rebellion at _that_ power level, if that is what they were planning."

"Maybe it was for sentiment." Dodoria said with a questioning raise of his palm as he stepped forward. "He is Raditz's family."

"Sentiment?" Frieza sneered skeptically.

He knew Saiyans were anything but sentimental. No, the only reason the Saiyans would bother to go out of their way for another would be if they needed him. But for what? Frieza frowned in deep thought as he awaited the impending meeting with this new one, which would make four. It was not nearly as dangerous for him as when the entire Saiyan race existed, but he still didn't like it.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Raditz really killed everyone on Earth. I know it is a sad beginning, but the DB universe is full of possibilities, and that was Raditz's original intention once he found life thriving on the planet. I'm sure you can all guess some ways that our favorite Earthling characters might make an appearance later. And I know, no Nappa or Vegeta yet, but we'll get to them in the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews on that first chapter!


	3. Hidden Motives

"Raditz is back!" A bald, burly Saiyan announced as said long-haired Saiyan approached his feasting comrades on a remote planet.

"Nappa, Prince Vegeta." Raditz greeted, adding a bow to Nappa's smaller, but less welcoming companion.

"Where is he?" Vegeta asked impatiently as he discarded the bone of his meat and eyed the lone status of the returning Saiyan.

Raditz was taking a seat beside Vegeta and hungrily eyeing the food at the table where the pair had been sitting and eating. He found them in a blown-open, deserted mess hall of sorts. With the walls destroyed, the mess hall was exposed to the dust and ash-riddled elements of the foreign planet they had just purged, where Raditz planned to meet them after retrieving Kakarot.

Raditz hurriedly reached for a large chunk of recently-seared alien meat."Hm?"

"You were supposed to be finding your brother." Vegeta growled with clear irritation at Raditz's lack of attention. His deep frown then turned up into a bitter smile. "Was he already dead when you got there?"

As Vegeta threw Raditz a taunting smirk, Raditz finished chewing the large chunk of meat he had practically inhaled in one bite and tossed the bone into the center of the table. Then he smirked back at Vegeta.

Before he could open his mouth to respond, Nappa interrupted with bellowing mockery. "Killed by Earthlings! That would be so pathetic!"

As Nappa chortled, Raditz's smirk lowered into a deep frown. Kakarot may not have been killed, but the Earthlings had certainly had an effect on his brother that he was not happy about. "He isn't dead."

Vegeta's brow lifted in mild interest as Nappa ignored Raditz's response and continued with his mockery. "Of course, if your brother's power level is anything like yours, Raditz, I wouldn't be too surprised that he could be killed on such a puny planet." Nappa laughed heartily while Vegeta found no amusement.

He studied Raditz carefully as Raditz growled angrily at Nappa. "Leave Raditz alone, Nappa." Vegeta ordered calmly with his eyes remaining on Raditz. Raditz gave a slight look of appreciation to Vegeta before Vegeta smirked cruelly at him. "He can't help being a weakling." Vegeta and Nappa shared a laugh at Raditz's expense.

Raditz crossed his arms tightly and glared at the other two. "Shut up, Nappa."

He wouldn't dare tell Vegeta to shut up, but Raditz had enough of being the weakest Saiyan alive. He relaxed a bit at that thought. At least Kakarot was around to take that title for him now.

"Then where is Kakarot?" Vegeta asked after Nappa's laughter subsided.

"I sent him to a space station near Earth. He needs training before he'll be of any use to us." Raditz groaned reluctantly with a roll of his eyes.

He knew that admission only opened him up for more mockery, and there was still more to tell. His brother was truly a disappointment. Nappa and Vegeta exchanged an understanding glance, looking clearly amused. "So, Kakarot's even weaker than you are, huh Raditz?" Nappa asked with another taunting smirk that Raditz just wanted to wipe off that big ugly bastard's face.

Raditz glared at Nappa. No verbal answer was necessary. The other two both understood.

"Still, you should have brought him with you, Raditz. Even the weakest of Saiyans is powerful after the transformation brought on by the full moon." Vegeta scolded his comrade.

Raditz would have done so, if that were still a possibility. Kakarot was such an embarrassment to call his blood. Raditz lowered his chin and mumbled the guilty confession into his chest. "Helossistail."

He looked up warily to see Vegeta and Nappa looking bemused. "What did you just say?" Nappa exclaimed with his brows knit together tightly in confusion.

Apparently they didn't hear that. Raditz sighed deeply with remorse. Did he really have to repeat that? "Kakarot lost his tail!" He exclaimed loudly as he frowned deeply at his comrades.

Vegeta and Nappa looked appalled by Raditz's revelation, which he knew they would be. Any Saiyan would know to covet his tail. Any Saiyan, aside from his brainless brother, it seemed.

"How the hell did that happen?" Nappa asked with a deep frown.

Raditz looked at the other two with a hard stare. He didn't want to talk about Kakarot anymore. There was just too much to explain. "Why don't you ask _him_ about it when you meet him?" Raditz asked Nappa as he crossed his arms, clearly indicating he had no more interest in talking.

Vegeta had remained pensive while the other two were having their discussion, until his eyes widened as if he suddenly realized something. "Raditz, which space station did you send Kakarot to?" Vegeta asked in alarm.

With his arms still crossed, continuing to stare at Nappa's hostile expression, Raditz said, "Six-two dash six."

Nappa's face fell into a gaping maw. "Dammit, Raditz. You have to be kidding me!"

Vegeta shook his head slowly with chagrin.

"What?" Raditz asked as he uncrossed his arms and extended his hands in a questioning gesture.

What was wrong with that space station? They had trained there before, several times. The place had plenty of food. He really didn't see the problem the other two were seeing, but there was obviously something.

"Kakarot will be no use to us, even if he is training." Vegeta conceded with a scowl as he crossed his arms tightly and turned his face from the others, scoffing derisively in disappointment. "Not after Frieza is through with him."

Raditz's eyes widened at Vegeta's admission. He thought Kakarot would remain unnoticed there. Frieza and his two goons hadn't been to that space station in years. "Why would Frieza know he's there?" Raditz asked with clear agitation as he stood from his seat.

Frieza knowing of Kakarot's existence was a very bad thing. The three of them had realized, not too long ago, that Frieza had destroyed their planet because he felt threatened by the Saiyans. He certainly wouldn't be happy about Raditz finding another Saiyan and bringing him in behind Frieza's back.

"Because, numbnuts," Nappa grumbled with a harsh sneer, "Cui is there, not to mention all those other suck ups that inform Frieza of everything."

Raditz frowned deeply as he clenched his fists by his sides. He just went through all that shit to take his brother back into the fold, only to lose him to Frieza before they made any use of him? Now how would their mighty warrior race ever get out from under Frieza's thumb?

"Dammit! I need to get to that station!" Raditz cried in alarm as he stepped on the bench seat he had been sitting on and propelled off of it into the air, back towards his space pod.

They had realized that the three of them wouldn't stand a chance against Frieza. At least with four, and Vegeta's impressive, increasing power, it seemed it might soon be possible to overthrow the sick bastard. Raditz hadn't told Kakarot about Frieza when they were back on Earth. Seeing how soft his Earthling friends and his memory loss had made him, Raditz was concerned that Kakarot might've been scared off by the monstrous challenge of taking down Frieza. But most of all, he couldn't have anyone listening in on his scouter to overhear the real reason for his brother's retrieval.

If their plan failed because of his mistake, Raditz would be letting down Vegeta and his entire race's chance for vengeance against Frieza. As Raditz's ship took off towards Space Station 62-6, he gritted his teeth with frustration and squeezed his fists tightly from inside the confinement of his space pod. Now he'd have to explain his wayward, unannounced trip to Earth to Frieza. And he'd have to find out if there was still anything left of his brother.

* * *

A series of melodic beeps sounded, followed by the airy whoosh of Frieza's large chamber door opening. Zarbon approached the door from inside the chamber as a wary, orange-skinned alien stepped forward, immediately falling to one knee and bowing his head deeply upon entering the room. "Lord Frieza. May I present Kakarot, third class Saiyan."

The alien was followed in by another man, who was fully dressed in training armor from the station with wayward spikes of recognizably Saiyan hair, standing upright while glancing around the large room with big, curious eyes. The kneeling, orange alien grimaced at the other's behavior as he hastily tugged on his navy spandex pant leg, hissing at him to get down.

"Bow to Lord Frieza!" Dodoria yelled harshly, getting behind Goku and knocking in the back of his legs with a swift kick which caused Goku to land harshly on his knees.

Goku winced in pained surprise at the move he didn't even see coming, then looked up at the man in a hoverchair before him. "Lord Frieza? That's you?" Goku asked Frieza, pointing his finger at the tyrant.

Frieza scowled at the disrespectful mannerisms of the Saiyan who had a strikingly familiar face. "Yes. And I can tell, even without the tail, that you _are_ a Saiyan, indeed. Such an insolent race." Frieza sneered.

His hostility escaped Goku's notice as the Saiyan was already focusing his concentration on something that alerted him. "Wow!" Goku exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he rose to his feet. "I knew I sensed a lot of power coming here, but I had no idea it could be all from one person! You really _are_ strong! I never thought anyone could be so powerful!"

The others in the room, including Mengo, who still held his kneeling position on the ground, looked at each other in confusion at Goku's unique reaction to meeting the imposing ruler of the universe. Everyone usually cowered before Frieza upon first meeting the tyrant.

Goku's eyes shifted to Dodoria, then Zarbon, narrowing perceptively as he smirked. "You two are really powerful, too! I'm impressed!"

Zarbon narrowed his eyes at Goku's scouter. He balked in surprise when he noticed it was blank and not functioning. "H-how could you know that? You're scouter isn't even on!" The others widened their eyes in shock.

Goku placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head thoughtfully. "What? You guys can't sense ki? Oh! I guess that's why Raditz needed one of these to find me on Earth." Goku pointed at his scouter when a pained expression crossed his face immediately after mentioning his brother and the doomed planet.

Frieza observed Goku's suddenly somber mood calculatedly as Zarbon stepped forward to speak. "Yes. Earth. I suppose congratulations are in order for the successful purge of that planet." Zarbon sneered with an amused smirk at Goku's increasing anger. "It only took you...what? Two decades!" Zarbon and Dodoria shared a hearty laugh as Frieza narrowed his eyes pensively at Goku, who was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists tightly.

"That wasn't me!" Goku exclaimed furiously, startling Zarbon and Dodoria from their laughter. "I would never destroy life on Earth, and I will do whatever I have to to make sure Raditz pays for what he's done!"

Zarbon, Dodoria, and Frieza exchanged curious glances at that, until Dodoria raised a brow dubiously at Goku and crossed his arms. "You had no interest in purging the planet?"

As Dodoria released a brief, amused cackle, Goku yelled with frustration, "No! I protected life on Earth before Raditz arrived there!"

Frieza shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"This Saiyan certainly is different from the others, Lord Frieza." Zarbon commented dryly. "If he has no bloodlust like the others, he truly is useless." Zarbon frowned at Goku in disappointment.

Goku failed to note the comment, or the look, as he fixated his gaze on Frieza with his lips set in a hard line of determination, something else already on his mind before Zarbon even spoke. "Train me." Goku insisted to Frieza as Zarbon and Dodoria balked at his audacity. "With your strength, you can make me strong enough to defeat Raditz. Train me so I can avenge my friends and family. My planet."

To the surprise of the others, Frieza pursed his lips in consideration before turning his gaze on them. "Leave us. All of you."

Mengo immediately scurried from the room with a worried expression, and Zarbon and Dodoria looked at Frieza curiously before obediently heading for the door. "Yes, Lord Frieza." They converged through the door together, their eyes meeting suspiciously.

Frieza lowered his chin and looked at Goku suspiciously once the room cleared. "When you say 'my planet', you are referring to Planet Vegeta, aren't you?"

"No. I don't remember my birth planet. I could care less what happened to it, or anyone on it. If the other Saiyans are anything like Raditz, I want nothing to do with them."

Frieza studied Goku skeptically, tapping the fingers of one hand on his hoverchair as he leered at the angered Saiyan. "Why do you think I would train you? What do I have to gain from it?"

As Frieza carefully gauged the Saiyan's reaction, Goku knit his brows together pensively before scowling at the ground in frustration when he came up empty. Frieza smirked victoriously at the sight. He suddenly had a marvelous idea. This Saiyan could prove to be much more useful than Frieza would have ever anticipated. "Here's the deal. I will train you, on the condition that you do something for me first, and we keep this training our little secret from the other Saiyans."

Goku looked up from the ground curiously, suddenly suspicious of Frieza's motives. After all, the last time he trusted someone, Raditz betrayed him and killed everyone he cared about. Goku already learned the hard way that his trust could no longer be so easily given. Frieza smirked at Goku, reading his thoughts by his expression.

"What is it that you want me to do for you?" Goku asked abrasively as he held Frieza in a defiant glare.

Frieza startled at the bold address before shooting Goku a hateful glare. As much as he loathed the entire Saiyan race along with this one, Frieza reminded himself that he wanted to keep this one around for now. With that in mind, he calmed himself before he spoke again. "Everyone in my empire must serve me. As a warrior, your duty is planet purging. That is how my empire grows. Do you understand?"

Goku gaped at him in disbelief. "You want me to purge planets like the Earth was purged? Take innocent lives?!" Goku raised his voice with a hateful glare at the tyrant. "If that's true, you're no better than my brother!"

Frieza slyly shrugged with feigned indifference. "If you don't want the training, you could always abandon your role as a warrior and I'll keep you alive for some other useful occupation here. Maybe they need help at the communications desk."

Frieza knew any barbaric Saiyan, even this one, would be aghast at the idea of a life without fighting. Goku grit his teeth with frustration and Frieza wasted no time continuing. "In order to give you the proper training, though, I would not be sending you to a planet with defenseless weaklings like Earth. Your first purge would be..." Frieza raised a finger to his lip and narrowed his eyes as they roamed to the side wall thoughtfully, "...Planet Spetti." He decided with a haughty smirk. "You will go with Dodoria, so he can show you how it's done. The beings on that planet are all great warriors, and have taken many innocent lives, just like the Saiyans. It would be a great challenge." Frieza's lip turned up in a sinister smile as he found amusement in Goku's perked brow at the mention of the challenge.

"Aren't there innocents on the planet?" Goku asked, his intrigued expression suddenly falling into one of concern.

Frieza sighed heavily in annoyance. "They're rebellious vermin who need to be taken care of. That is all that's left on the planet. And if Dodoria reports that you cooperated, I will give you more than adequate training when you return."

A devilish smile crossed Frieza's face as Goku narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How do I know you'll keep your promise?"

Goku took a step towards Frieza, who cackled lightly at the question. "I suppose you can't know for sure. But, I have to admit. I detest Raditz myself. Once you surpass him, what better way for him to be taken care of than by his own brother's hand? I would love to see the look on his face right before he dies!" Frieza gloated excitedly.

His suggestion conjured the hypothetical image in Goku's head. Aside from when Tambourine and King Piccolo killed his closest friends, Goku had never felt such a desire for someone to die. Raditz had lied to him and taken everyone from him at once. And he was supposed to be his brother. That kind of betrayal sparked a level of anger in Goku that he had never experienced before. He couldn't wait to see the look on Raditz's face, either. He wasn't going to allow his friends and family's deaths to be forgotten. When he was back on Earth, Goku was prepared to sacrifice himself in order to save them. Now that they were gone, he couldn't let their killer remain on the loose, no matter what it cost him to take Raditz down.

"To show you that I intend to keep my promise, I'm even willing to give you your first lesson right now." Frieza added, drawing Goku from his thoughts.

Goku creased his brows tightly in concern at the surprising remark. Why would Frieza be willing to offer training now after making the condition that Goku had to purge another planet first?

"Lesson number one." Frieza raised a finger in the air as Goku slightly tilted his head in confusion.

Frieza's seemingly amiable smile shifted into a cruel smirk as his raised finger tilted slowly downward, until it was parallel with the ground, and aimed right at Goku. Goku's eyes widened as a red light emanated from Frieza's fingertip and a searing pain shot through his knee before he could do anything to respond to what he saw coming, too late.

Over Goku's anguished scream, Frieza said, "Next time you are in my presence, you will bow."

Goku stumbled over and fell to the ground with the loss of his injured leg's support, causing Frieza to praise with a smug smile,"Just like that. Lesson number two."

Frieza raised two fingers in the air as the doors to the chamber opened, Dodoria and Zarbon running inside at the sound of the pained screams. As Frieza nodded to his henchmen, who were taking in the scene with mild amusement and stepping aside, he pushed his two fingers together and pointed them again towards Goku, whose eyes widened fearfully at Frieza as he readied himself by crossing his forearms defensively for the imminent blast. As the second lightning-fast shot traveled through Goku's hip, Goku screamed in agony at the searing pain which caused him to fall to the ground.

Frieza's eyes lit excitedly at the sight of Goku falling and crying out in pain. " _You_ do not make demands of _me_. Lesson number three."

With a sadistic smile, as Goku hissed through his teeth and met Frieza's eyes with a defiant glare, Frieza growled, "You will follow my orders without question."

He pointed towards Goku's abdomen and fired a final, larger, blazing red blast that went straight through the fallen Saiyan as the others had, leaving a measurable hole in his bloodied torso. Frieza silently frowned upon Goku as the Saiyan clutched his massive wound, growling, coughing, and writhing in pain, then slowly lost consciousness, lying on his back in a pool of his own blood.

Without removing his eyes from Goku, Frieza slowly eased his deep frown into a gleeful smirk. "Get him into a rejuvenation tank, Dodoria. Quickly now. I don't want him to die just yet. Once he is healed, you will take him to Planet Spetti with you for purging."

Dodoria hefted Goku over his shoulder, raising his brows in surprise at Frieza's second order, but not daring to question it. "Yes, Lord Frieza." Dodoria hurriedly carried Goku's barely conscious form through the sliding doors of the chamber, ignoring the blood and Goku's semi-conscious groans of protest at being moved.

"Planet Spetti?" Zarbon asked Frieza curiously after the doors sealed behind the two that just left. Frieza smirked again and nodded in confirmation. Zarbon chuckled and flung his braid from one shoulder to the other haughtily. It seemed the initiation to Frieza's variation of training had begun.


	4. Crossing Paths

"Lord Frieza." Raditz said beseechingly from within Frieza's temporary chamber at Space Station 62-6. He carefully raised his chin just a bit from his despicable groveling position to eye the irritable tyrant.

"Raditz." Frieza said in that low, dangerous tone that Raditz had been dreading. "Did Vegeta and Nappa know about your little excursion to Earth, or did you do that all on your own?"

Raditz frowned deeply as he struggled to hide his frustration from Frieza and his voyeuristic goons off to the side. If Raditz admitted to going to Earth on his own, he knew he was in for a hell of a punishment. It had to be obvious to Frieza that Raditz intended to retrieve Kakarot behind his back, seeing that Raditz never communicated the trip to Earth through his scouter. The Saiyans _were_ trying to keep Kakarot's existence unknown until Raditz screwed up and sent him to a compromised space station. Raditz would have to shoulder Frieza's wrath if he relented to Frieza's accusation of going on his own. On the other hand, if he admitted that Vegeta and Nappa did actually know where he was headed, they would all be punished, which could lessen the blow for him, or, more likely, would be much worse for the group as a whole. Raditz knew what he had to do, but he did _not_ like it.

"No, Lord Frieza. Vegeta and Nappa did not know." Raditz lied as respectably as he could, even though he would have loved to sneer and throw his fist into that monster's face. He knew he couldn't. And he had too much pride to let those followers, Zarbon and Dodoria, witness Frieza making him look like a fool.

Frieza studied Raditz keenly for a long moment. "So, you just decided you could take a little vacation to see a long lost relative while I have an empire to build." Frieza raised a palm flippantly in the air to feign permissiveness.

Raditz's frown only deepened at that. He knew the more Frieza acted nice in the beginning of the conversation, the worse it was going to get by the end. He would have rather had Frieza yelling and punishing him already. "I _purged_ the Earth for you, Lord Frieza."

Raditz clenched his teeth as he struggled to reign in the anger he felt rising from Frieza's never-ending act of disappointment in the Saiyans. Frieza raised a brow in amusement as he recognized Raditz's poorly contained frustration.

With an amused smile and crossed arms, Zarbon stepped forward and looked down on Raditz. "Don't you mean you and your brother purged the Earth, Raditz?"

That green freak had no business looking down on him. When the Saiyans would finally gain the strength to take down Frieza, Raditz couldn't wait to smash that pretty boy face in that he was so sick of looking at.

"That _is_ what you reported." Zarbon accused.

Raditz glared openly at Zarbon. That fool may have been stronger than him, but the only one that could decide his punishment was Frieza. He had no intentions of playing nice with the lackeys. "Either way, it is another planet under the control of Lord Frieza's empire now."

Raditz smiled bitterly as he met Frieza's watchful eyes again. He knew what Zarbon was getting at. His stupid brother must have told Frieza that he didn't have any part in purging the Earth. Frieza definitely saw Kakarot already. But what had he done with him? Raditz had briefly checked Kakarot's room before seeking Frieza, only to find it empty, which only helped to solidify his fears about his brother's fate.

"Lord Frieza." Raditz implored again, hoping this time he might have his chance to ask about his brother. After swallowing nervously at the ensuing heavy silence, Raditz met Frieza's eyes again, loathing that detestable red-eyed glare. The offer of another soldier might sway the rigid tyrant. "My brother, Kakarot, he can contribute to your empire as well."

"Yes. I know." Frieza agreed quickly with a smug smile before Raditz could continue.

Then, without another word of explanation, Frieza smirked cruelly at Raditz's wide eyed, expectant expression. Frieza was intentionally leaving him in suspense. Well, fine. Raditz could play if Frieza wanted to play. He knew he was in for hell for his earlier disobedient travels; there was no getting around that. At least when he was already in trouble, he knew he could freely give the murderer of his parents, his planet, and his entire race some attitude. That was the best part of being in trouble, and he was going to relish it while he could.

He looked boldly into the smirking tyrant's eyes. "What the hell did you do with him, Frieza?"

Frieza's smirk turned down into a deep frow at Raditz's rebellious glare. What a beautiful sight, wiping the smirk off Frieza's face. The satisfaction only lasted for a second as Raditz braced himself for the reaction.

Zarbon made an aggressive stance. "How dare you speak to Lord Frieza like that!"

Frieza continued glaring at Raditz as he waved Zarbon off dismissively. "Down, Zarbon."

Zarbon balked and took a step back before glaring at Raditz's amused smile at his expense.

"These monkeys apparently need to be taught time and time again." Frieza growled with much less patience than he had been showing before. Then Frieza exhaled heavily, as if forcing himself to calm down. "What would you say if I told you I killed your brother?" Frieza asked Raditz with a new, pleasant tone to his voice.

Raditz gritted his teeth and shook his head. That couldn't be true. Frieza was toying with him. Raditz seethed, "You didn't!"

"Oh. I thought you might say something more disrespectful, seeing what a mood you are in." Frieza cajoled. "Then what would you say if I told you I broke every bone in your brother's body?"

"Go to hell, Frieza!" Raditz growled at Frieza's sinister smile, his anger stemming more from his frustration with Frieza's toying than worry over his brother's well-being.

Frieza laughed in approval. "Now that's more like it!"

Frieza seemingly disappeared and reappeared right next to Raditz. Before Raditz even had the chance to turn his head and acknowledge Frieza's movement, the leader poked a powerful finger into Raditz's side, effortlessly causing the Saiyan to roll over and yell out in agony at the power behind Frieza's simple touch.

Frieza cackled as he stood over Raditz, "Just to let you know, I had to teach your brother a lesson as well."

At the intense, relentless pain that persisted in his ribcage, Raditz closed his eyes tightly and coughed harshly. He found no amusement in what Frieza was saying, and was deeply frustrated with being in so much pain that he was unable to respond.

"He should be out of the rejuvenation tank soon. Too bad you'll miss your chance to see him before he leaves." Frieza added as he waved over Zarbon, who stepped forward with a smug smile as Dodoria joined Frieza by his side with crossed arms, wearing the same expression on his face. "Zarbon, take care of Raditz from here. You've always been good with managing the riffraff."

Zarbon smiled maliciously and approached Raditz's prone form on the ground with his fists raised. Frieza and Dodoria stopped their progress towards the door as Frieza addressed Raditz without turning around, just as the first collision of fist and face was heard. "I hope you'll remember where you stand from now on, Raditz." Frieza added sternly with a deep scowl. "Reminding you and your kind of your place again and again is frankly getting _old_."

The pause of quiet that could be heard while Zarbon and Raditz listened to Frieza's warning was quickly ended as that door shut behind Frieza and Dodoria, and a series of grunts and bone-crushing sounds could be heard from outside the room. Dodoria frowned as Frieza smiled to himself, listening to the pleasing sound of the infliction of pain before he walked away.

"Leave me, Dodoria." Frieza demanded without casting even a hesitant glance in his henchman's direction. "I want to be alone for a while, and you and that Saiyan have a planet to acquire for me."

Dodoria obediently bowed and left Frieza without question. Frieza frowned pensively to himself as he progressed down the hall alone. He did have some thinking to do. After all, training was not something he had ever truly done for anyone, not even himself. It was never required. He had considered pawning the Saiyan off to someone else for his training. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more pleasing the idea of doing it himself became. Frieza smiled at his thoughts with a triumphant glint in his eyes. Training a low-class, foolhardy Saiyan, who was desperate for revenge could be _very_ entertaining. Plus, once the Saiyan was strong enough, he would serve his purpose by solving a very plausible problem for Frieza.

* * *

After feeling sufficiently satisfied with the extent of Raditz's punishment, Zarbon hefted the severely weakened, injured warrior towards the chamber of the space station housing the rejuvenation tanks. As the doors whooshed open at his push of a button, Zarbon was greeted by the startled expressions of a few bird-like alien attendants in uniform, working the machines. They quickly averted their gazes as Zarbon confidently strutted into the room before tossing the barely-conscious Raditz into an empty rejuvenation tank effortlessly.

"Take care of this one, will you?" Zarbon asked inattentively to the nearest attendant, who was busily selecting settings on the tank taken by another injured alien. The alien attendant startled at Zarbon's address before nodding fervently as he abandoned his post to tend to Raditz. As Raditz was suited with a mask by the alien, Zarbon walked away without another glance but paused at an intriguing sound just before reaching the door.

An alerting series of beeps from a distant tank in the room had caught Zarbon's attention. It was a very pleasing, recognizable sound for any soldier who'd been injured in Frieza's army, and Zarbon glanced over his shoulder to notice Raditz's eyes shooting open at the sound as well. Zarbon smirked maliciously at Raditz as the tank he inhabited began to fill with fluid, and the beaten Saiyan was trapped inside with no way to determine from where those beeps were originating. But Zarbon could. He haughtily stared at the paralyzed Saiyan as he strutted down the line of rejuvenation tanks, in the direction of the one where the attendants were busily draining the fluid and releasing its healed inhabitant.

* * *

Emerging from the strange fluid-filled tank where he had awakened to the sight of a group of bird-like people, Goku was amazed to not only be completely healed from the injuries inflicted by Frieza, but feeling stronger than ever before. Yet, in spite of his physical improvement, mentally, he felt like a mess. He realized that he was never the smartest guy to begin with, but now his mind was clouded with the weight of his recent losses he had no time to mourn, and the recurrent cruelty of everyone around him. The one thing he did know was that he needed to resume training immediately.

"Which way to the training facilities from here?" Goku asked the nearest technician impatiently, who handed a set of armor to the naked, healed warrior. As he hurried from the tank and dressed himself in the uniform armor provided, Goku turned his back to the group, awaiting an answer. The technicians wordlessly glanced at one another while Goku finished dressing, before noting the approach of Zarbon, for whom they readily stepped aside.

"Kakarot." Zarbon called, surprising a wide-eyed Goku with a firm squeeze of his arm around Goku's shoulder. Zarbon smiled to himself as he led the Saiyan towards the door while being careful to block Raditz from Goku's view. " _I'll_ show you to the training facilities. Though, soon it will be time for you to leave for Planet Spetti, so you don't have much time for that."

As they continued through the doorway, Zarbon shot one last glance over his shoulder. He smirked maliciously at the sight of Raditz's frustrated expression behind his mask as he growled within the tank and helplessly watched his brother disappear from his view with Zarbon.

Sensing the slight pique of weakened ki from behind him, Goku began to glance over his shoulder as well before Zarbon quickly spoke again, drawing Goku's attention forward. "Dodoria is likely preparing to leave already. He won't wait for you. You should really be prepared to leave at a moment's notice."

Zarbon's insistence went unnoticed as they turned the corner and he released his grip around Goku's shoulders. Goku's mind was already elsewhere as Zarbon spoke, which Zarbon noted with resentment.

"What's Planet Spetti like?" Goku asked as they walked the halls.

Zarbon frowned at Goku. Zarbon had no idea what opportunity Frieza saw in using that Saiyan, who seemed completely useless in Zarbon's opinion. And yet that Saiyan seemed to be getting special attention from Frieza, much like Vegeta always had.

"It's cold." Zarbon answered curtly with his scowl in place as they reached the door of the training facility.

For only a second, Goku looked at Zarbon in bafflement at his abrasive attitude, but shook it off as he hurriedly entered the training facility. Zarbon said he didn't have much time, so Goku wouldn't waste a second while he was still there.

When Goku was given the order to leave after only a day of training, Mengo escorted him to a new space pod at the launch pad. Goku had learned quickly in his short time spent at that station, before and after the encounter with Frieza, that Saiyans were disliked among most of Frieza's men. The ones who weren't blatantly hostile were indifferent towards him. Mengo was perhaps the only being that was genuinely friendly towards Goku. It was easy for Goku to allow the taunting and aggression from the others to roll off his back. For the most part, he hardly noticed their attempts at goading him. He was too focused on his training, on Raditz.

"Travel safe, Goku." Mengo said with a sad smile as he assisted Goku by affixing the scouter to his ear. "And good luck on your purge."

Goku frowned at Mengo's well wishes. Though it was obvious that Mengo meant well by them, something about being wished luck with destroying people, even the violent warriors Frieza portrayed, did not sit well with him.

Goku only nodded and forced a smile back at Mengo as he climbed into his space pod programmed for Planet Spetti with a foreboding feeling. Frieza said the planet was full of hostile warriors, but Goku had to see that for himself before he'd feel capable of killing them. He would only fight those who attacked him. If there was no hostility on Spetti, he would suffer whatever consequences resulted from disobedience when he returned, but he would rather face those consequences than the guilt of taking any innocent lives.

* * *

"Why do you think Raditz hasn't responded, Vegeta?" Nappa asked.

The two elite Saiyans had finally arrived at Space Station 62-6, following shortly after Raditz. They walked across the launch pad at a brisk pace, paying no mind to the busily bustling aliens surrounding them as a few ships departed the space station. Vegeta walked slightly ahead of Nappa, who was knitting his brows together tightly in concentration as he tried to figure an answer to his own question, to which Vegeta glared angrily as they entered the long hall of the interior of the station.

"Tch!" Vegeta knew what Raditz's lack of response meant.

Raditz would have had some explaining to do when he saw Frieza. It was his own fault for running off in such a hurry to save his brother. If Raditz would have stuck around a little longer, they could have devised an explanation that would have been more acceptable to Frieza. But truthfully, Vegeta was fed up with doing that. He had been biding his time for too long under that freak's rule. Nappa began grumbling irritably behind Vegeta, who knew the idiot would just continue asking if he didn't say something.

"Because he can't respond, Nappa." Vegeta grumbled through clenched teeth as they approached their destination-a large, sealed doorway at the space station.

Nappa's eyes scanned up and down the length of the door. "Do we have to see Frieza first?" Vegeta scowled at the door with no reply as Nappa lifted his hand in a pleading gesture. "I mean, if we know Raditz is in deep shit, he's likely in the tanks." Nappa shrugged with a dubious expression. "Or he's dead. Either way, we should check the tanks first, right?"

Vegeta released a heavy sigh without bothering to face his comrade. "Frieza will know we're here, Nappa. We need to see him first. Especially after what just happened with Raditz and Kakarot." Vegeta gave a stern look to the large man practically hovering over him. "We don't want Frieza being anymore suspicious of us than he already is." Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Nappa in warning. "Don't say anything stupid, Nappa."

Nappa gulped audibly before rubbing the top of his bald head. "I'll try, Vegeta."

Vegeta sighed heavily as he punched the button to open the door. The last time Nappa _tried_ not to say anything stupid, they ended up sent on a bunch of boring, measly missions on disgusting planets with no pay.

"Vegeta, Nappa." Zarbon's voice immediately greeted them from inside the chamber as Vegeta and Nappa were already bowing down on one knee before Frieza.

"Lord Frieza." Vegeta greeted with a nod of his head, intentionally failing to acknowledge Zarbon's gloating tone. He briefly wondered where the other one was. Neither Zarbon nor Dodoria hardly ever left Frieza's side.

"My, my. What a surprise." Frieza said coolly as he smiled down at the bowing Saiyans before him. "The entire, expanded Saiyan race under one roof." Frieza tittered in amusement. "This place is turning into a regular zoo, isn't it?"

Zarbon laughed in agreement before Frieza joined him. Vegeta scowled deeply at Frieza's mockery and the laughing goon. If only they knew how little time they had left to laugh. Soon it would be Vegeta ruling the universe and looking down on _them_. Nappa growled with aggravation at the insults, but Vegeta immediately shot him a harsh glare in warning, effectively ceasing the hostile growls.

"Both Kakarot and Raditz are here now?" Vegeta asked suspiciously as he raised a brow at Frieza. It seemed unlikely. Vegeta and Nappa had not even seen Kakarot yet, and if Raditz was reunited with him again, it was even more bizarre that Raditz hadn't been responding to them over the scouters.

"Yes, but not for long." Zarbon answered with a smug smile.

"Don't hold it against your subjects that they haven't come to greet you, Vegeta. They're both…held up at the moment." Frieza added with a smirk.

Vegeta was unable to suppress the growl that rose to his throat. He knew something like that would happen to Raditz. But Kakarot was being punished as well? Surely too much time had passed since he first met Frieza for him to still be in the tanks. He should have been healed already. And if he wasn't injured, there couldn't have been much else holding Kakarot back from making his presence known to them. Nappa's earlier words echoed back to Vegeta. _Unless he was dead_.

"For how much longer?" Vegeta asked as respectfully as he could manage.

"Raditz should be healed soon. Wouldn't you say, Zarbon?" Frieza asked casually.

Zarbon smiled smugly and inclined his chin haughtily towards the still-kneeling Saiyans. As they rose to their feet, both Vegeta and Nappa glared defiantly at Zarbon's superior attitude.

"Not much longer. But he is such a weakling." Zarbon drawled teasingly with a smile. "He'll probably need some extra time to finish recovering."

"And what about Kakarot?" Nappa asked brusquely and impatiently, practically interrupting Zarbon before he had finished speaking.

Frieza's smug smile only grew at the mention of that name. Vegeta narrowed his eyes observantly at the reaction as Zarbon began to speak. "He's leaving for a purge with Dodoria, right about now. You probably just missed him."

Zarbon brushed his hair from his eyes as Frieza smiled in amusement. Vegeta observed Frieza carefully. So Kakarot wasn't being punished. The paranoid murderer of their entire race should have been threatened by the addition of another Saiyan, but for some reason, Frieza seemed almost elated about Kakarot. It didn't make sense. Vegeta realized something strange was going on. He needed to talk to Kakarot, or at least Raditz, to learn more about what Frieza might have been thinking. Vegeta still had yet to reach legendary status, but he was determined to do it, and once he defeated Frieza, he knew the entire galactic army could be a threat to the Saiyans. He needed all of his men behind him before that happened.

Nappa gaped in disbelief at Frieza."He's leaving already?! We've never even met the guy!"

"Hm." Frieza hummed in a tone of displeasure. "Well, it looks like you two will have to wait a while longer to meet him. I'm sending you to purge another planet, and this one should take a couple of months to reach from here."

Vegeta and Nappa balked at the suggestion. They had just recently finished a mission that required nearly five months of space travel, and all that time sitting in a space pod was wasted time that could have been used for fighting and becoming stronger.

"And you leave immediately for Planet Feesh." Frieza added sternly as he narrowed his eyes at Vegeta and Nappa's displeased expressions.

Zarbon blocked Nappa as the large Saiyan stepped forward in indignation. "Immediately?! We just _spent_ a few months traveling through space!"

Nappa ignored Zarbon's posturing and glared at Frieza. Frieza glared back at Nappa, his upper lip turning up a subtle snarl.

Vegeta scowled as he observed an arising problem in need of derailing, due to Nappa's loudmouthed stupidity. "Forgive him, Lord Frieza. Nappa can't help himself. He simply hates space travel because he barely fits in his space pod."

Vegeta found subtle amusement at his companion's expense as Frieza momentarily smirked at Vegeta's comment with the same subtle amusement. "Really?" Frieza narrowed his eyes at Nappa. "Nappa, I don't want to hear another complaint. You are dismissed." Frieza ordered strictly.

As Vegeta was already leaving the room at Frieza's dismissal, Nappa clenched his fists tightly and grit his teeth while obediently following Vegeta's lead. "How can we just obey those orders like that?!"

Vegeta's frown deepened at Nappa's question. "We don't have a choice, Nappa. Not yet."

Vegeta continued marching forward and Nappa looked around their surroundings curiously. He realized they were heading away from the launch pad. "I thought we were leaving?"

Vegeta smirked to himself. "We're making a stop first. I'm curious to see if Raditz is healed. I want to know what more he has to say about his reunion with Kakarot."


	5. Leaving With A New Mindset

As Vegeta and Nappa rounded the next turn in the hall, nearing the medical wing of the space station, a few aliens in Frieza's uniforms sighted the warriors, shakily skimming the walls with fearful expressions as they made room for the Saiyans to pass. Vegeta stopped at a doorway, waiting as Nappa pressed the button and the door opened. A large chamber, filled with a line of rejuvenation tanks, half of which were occupied, was revealed as the door whooshed open. Vegeta and Nappa paced down the line of rejuvenation tanks, their footsteps echoing through the chamber as the bubbling of the tank fluids and electronic beeps and murmurs were the only other sounds filling the chamber.

Nappa spotted the familiar face of their comrade in one of the tanks. "Here's Raditz."

Vegeta paused to eye the data on the tank's computer with his arms folded over his chest. "Good. He should be out any minute." Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Raditz's masked, unconscious face, as if that would somehow help him glean more information from the other Saiyan.

"You really think Raditz has something to tell us?" Nappa asked skeptically as he eyed Raditz, then Vegeta.

Vegeta lowered his chin and slowly continued walking down the line of tanks while they waited. Nappa readily followed at Vegeta's heel.

"There's something going on here, Nappa. Even with Frieza knowing of Kakarot's existence, we should have met with him by now. It's obvious that Frieza is sending us away for a reason." Vegeta scowled suspiciously. "I want to know what Frieza is so smug about. And I think Raditz knows."

"I can't imagine what Raditz has to say." Nappa said in a tone of boredom as he looked lazily about the room, before skeptically adding, "Do you think Kakarot will even be useful to us?"

Vegeta sneered in distaste as he had to agree with Nappa's cynical question. "Both of them are third class trash. We'll be lucky if they last a second in a _real_ battle."

Contempt marring Vegeta's voice, Nappa grunted dubiously as his eyes returned to Raditz's distant tank. A series of beeps echoed through the chamber at that moment as a technician ran into the lab. The technician reached Raditz's tank and hurriedly entered a series of buttons on the control panel, unobservant of Vegeta and Nappa's presence. Of course, they weren't supposed to be there. But hiding was just so boring. Nappa smirked at Vegeta, who stood by with an aloof, permissive nod as Nappa seemingly vanished.

"Hi, there."

A fearful shudder rang through the technician's lavender, scaly-skinned body as he recognized the Saiyan's deep voice so close to his ear. He understood his fate without having a chance to do anything about it. With a rapid movement to which the weak alien had no chance to react, hands grasped each side of his head and snapped his neck in an instant. Nappa chuckled maliciously as he watched the lifeless alien fall.

"Having fun, Nappa?" Dryly questioned the voice from the opening rejuvenation tank in front of the gargantuan Saiyan.

"Yeah. Actually, I am." Nappa answered boastfully as he crossed his arms and smugly admired his handiwork at his feet.

"Raditz! We don't have much time." Vegeta called impatiently as he stepped up to the pair and Raditz shook the dripping chamber fluids from his body with a flare of ki. As Nappa tossed the body into the tank Raditz had just vacated, Raditz fixed his gaze on Vegeta. "I want to know what happened on Earth." Vegeta narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Raditz. "You and Kakarot aren't exactly seeing eye to eye, are you?"

Raditz's eyes widened at the question. "Kakarot!" Raditz exclaimed in remembrance of the earlier incident from inside the tank. "Damn that Zarbon! I needed to talk to him." Raditz growled with frustration as Vegeta and Nappa listened, bemused by his words. "That moron. He's going to get himself killed if he keeps going on about that shit." Grumbling, Raditz stepped down from the rejuvenation tank in search of clothing.

"Going on about what?" Nappa asked bluntly as he trailed after Raditz, who had reached a cabinet of armor and was proceeding to dress himself.

Raditz huffed before meeting Nappa's eyes, then Vegeta's impassive gaze. "He told Frieza that he didn't lend his hand in purging the Earth." At Vegeta and Nappa's expressions of confusion, Raditz decided to elaborate as he pulled his final piece of armor over his head. "He hit his head as a baby and doesn't remember anything from before. He thinks he's an Earthling now. And he's all pissed at me for killing the lot of them." Raditz scoffed before he kicked closed the door to the cabinet housing the uniforms. "He had some sort of soft spot for those aliens." Raditz sneered incredulously as he wrapped his tail around his waist.

Vegeta had been frowning attentively at Raditz's explanation, but finally raised a dubious brow at Raditz. "He's really getting emotional over the deaths of Earthlings?"

Vegeta's eyes trailed to Nappa, who looked just as disbelieving as Vegeta was.

Raditz immediately frowned at the question. "Well…" Raditz warily rubbed his head as Vegeta's eyes quickly shot to Raditz, alarmed at his change in tone, "Earthlings and…one Saiyan."

While Vegeta glared incredulously at Raditz, Nappa balked, "What?!"

"How could there possibly be another Saiyan?" Vegeta asked.

"Kakarot's son." Raditz answered with an averted gaze and deep frown.

"Kakarot had a son? Why the hell did you kill him?" Nappa groaned. "We could have used the kid!"

"I tried to take him with me at first. When I killed Kakarot's friends, though, the kid went crazy and nearly killed me. His power just skyrocketed." Raditz answered tersely and defensively. "I _had_ to kill the kid. But I made sure he had a death worthy of a Saiyan."

"Raditz." Nappa chuckled darkly. "You're more cruel than I thought, killing your own nephew." He crossed his arms reprehensibly. "Kakarot's never going to let that go."

Raditz frowned deeply at the very real assertion. Vegeta shook his head in disbelief before fixing his gaze on a distant wall with a deep scowl. Raditz and Kakarot being at odds could become a real problem for the cooperation of Vegeta's subordinates, who were supposed to work together. Maybe that was what Frieza saw, too. Which would mean that Frieza was already suspecting a revolt from them. Things were becoming complicated.

"Vegeta, I think we need to get going." Nappa worriedly reminded Vegeta as he realized they had been spending some time there and were overdue to leave.

Vegeta continued staring elsewhere with a calculated expression.

"You guys have another mission?" Raditz asked curiously.

"Yeah. Planet Feesh." Nappa said as Vegeta continued thinking carefully to himself. "Frieza's sending us away from you and Kakarot. He doesn't trust us together." Nappa added mockingly.

Vegeta's serious gaze returned to Raditz. "Wait here for Kakarot, Raditz. If you see him again before we return, you'll need to set him straight."

Vegeta suddenly turned on his heels, headed for the door. Seeing that Vegeta clearly decided it was time to go, Nappa hurried to follow.

Raditz scowled at the thought of his weak, disobedient little brother before turning his lip up into a smirk as he responded to Vegeta's command. "Gladly."

* * *

"This planet is ff-fr-freezing!" Goku shouted as he shuddered and emerged from his space pod.

He flew to meet Dodoria, who was climbing out of his own pod, not too far away on Planet Spetti. Dodoria looked indifferent to the weather as he looked at Goku and clicked on his scouter.

He raised a haughty brow as he found amusement in the Saiyan's vulnerability to cold. "It's only thirty below, Saiyan. Don't be such a wimp." Dodoria said gruffly as he crossed his arms and slowly turned his head, taking in the panorama of white and blue icy scenery before them, with the stark-white sky of Planet Spetti surrounding them.

Goku blinked curiously as he followed Dodoria's gaze, taking in the scenery of the seemingly lifeless planet on which they had landed. "Hey, Dodoria," Goku prodded a finger a few times into the back of one of Dodoria's flabby arms, "what do-"

Goku cut off at the sound of a surprising, loud eruption of giggles from Dodoria while the pink alien squirmed away from Goku's persistent poking finger. Dodoria swatted Goku's hand away harshly and turned to him with an annoyed glare. "Stop that!"

Goku chuckled at Dodoria's obvious ticklish reaction before mischievously reaching his finger towards Dodoria again. Within the blink of an eye, Goku's reaching hand was trapped in a painful squeeze from Dodoria's tight grip, to which Goku grimaced before Dodoria released his hold.

"Ow!" Goku exclaimed with a petulant pout as he rubbed his injured hand. Then he grumbled peevishly, "I was just wondering what the Spetti people look like."

Dodoria glanced over his shoulder at Goku with a scowl of irritation. "They're called Spettians."

Goku frowned in disappointment when Dodoria stopped talking and resumed silently looking around. Goku didn't ask what they were _called_. He wanted to know what they looked like. "What do we do now?"

Goku shrugged as his companion seemed to be solely staring into the distance without any intentions of moving. There definitely didn't seem to be anyone around, not that Goku could sense. He did have a scouter on, but didn't want to start relying on that device. Dodoria sighed with a tone of annoyance at Goku's question before his scouter began beeping in a slow rhythm as he scanned the horizon. Goku frowned and tapped his foot impatiently, ignoring the beeps and symbols flashing in the lens of his own scouter, his teeth chattering from the freezing cold all the while.

How was he supposed to fight in that climate? Goku hoped the Spettians were bad guys like Frieza said, so he could fight and then kill them without remorse. It would be just like taking out the Red Ribbon Army, he decided. That would be no problem. Then he could earn his training from Frieza easily. If they _didn't_ try to kill Goku, he knew he wouldn't kill them, and then he might never get his training. And he wanted it. Badly.

Goku could only imagine how challenging Frieza's training would be. He felt a shiver of excitement at the thought of learning from someone so powerful, even though he did anticipate a lot of pain, if that first 'lesson' was any indication of Frieza's methods. Frieza might have been harsh, but training was training. Pain never scared Goku, and the excitement of learning new techniques and becoming stronger far outweighed any concerns he had about that.

Dodoria's scouter beeped wildly before setting on a solid reading. "Okay." Dodoria said. Goku raised his brows expectantly at Dodoria while the pink alien glanced over his shoulder towards Goku with a smirk. "Now we put you to the test."

Dodoria's derogatory tone didn't phase Goku, until Dodoria launched into the air ahead of him. Goku frowned with determination as he rocketed after the other, working hard to catch up to the stronger fighter's speed. When he did reach Dodoria, he landed inside a vast, jagged, icy valley, which was shielded from the wind by the surrounding landforms, and therefore slightly less cold than their previous location, yet just as deserted. Goku appreciated the slight warming of the new location, but still didn't see any point to hanging around anymore.

"You sure someone didn't already purge this planet?" Goku asked loudly and dubiously as he crossed his arms and rubbed them vigorously to gather some warmth.

"Shut up!" Dodoria yelled, his eyes darting observantly around the valley.

Goku suddenly became very serious as he noted Dodoria's alert demeanor and the subtle fluctuations of energy surrounding them, in spite of the lack of visible presence in the valley. Dodoria raised an arm in the air, forming a ball of ki in his hand with a sinister smile.

Goku raised a brow at him in confusion and disbelief. "What are you-"

Goku contorted his face deeply with bewilderment as Dodoria suddenly threw the ball of ki at one of the huge boulder-like protrusions of ice that littered the valley. A high-pitched scream emitted from it before the ice shattered. Goku and Dodoria both assumed a fighting stance when the other, untouched ice formations surrounding them suddenly began moving towards them, subtly shifting into more humanoid forms.

"Fight, Kakarot! Kill them all!" Dodoria said with a menacing laugh as he began firing more ki at the moving ice formations.

Goku yelped in surprise as one of them reached him, nearly spearing him with a shard of ice that unexpectedly protruded from it, taking him by surprise. Goku dodged as more fluid protrusions continued rapidly stabbing at him from various locations along the vaguely characterized ice block. Then he noticed more icy formations approaching.

"Kill them!" Dodoria growled as he caught sight of Goku and continued killing his own icy enemies.

"Kill ice?" Goku asked in disbelief.

He shook his head as he swung his arm down harshly with a yell, knocking off one of the icy shards that he had barely dodged, and grimaced when the removal of that shard elicited a high-pitched scream from the surprisingly limber, yet solid and frigid ice-like being. Goku's eyes widened in alarm as he realized he actually hurt that thing.

"They're your target, Kakarot! The ones Lord Frieza sent us for! You need to prove your worth here!" Dodoria then growled in annoyance as he wrapped his massive arms around one of the icy beings and harshly threw it full speed into the wall of the nearby ice wall, causing it to shatter into pieces.

Goku frowned as he continued nimbly dodging the icy spikes and hitting the ice without destroying any of it. He didn't want to kill anyone, even if they didn't really feel like living beings. But they were relentlessly trying to kill him, and he would have rather been fighting than dodging all of their attacks.

"If you don't kill these things, I'll have to let Lord Frieza know that you're not ready for his training." Dodoria threatened as he suddenly appeared right behind Goku.

Goku jumped at the close proximity of the voice and frowned at the warning as Dodoria smiled triumphantly, deciding to give Goku the final push. He continued with a taunting tone into Goku's ear. "Maybe Lord Frieza will decide to honor _Raditz_ with his training instead then."

Dodoria cackled as Goku gasped and glared furiously at that thought. He resumed rapidly dodging attacks as another alien ice heap lunged at him. Dodoria jumped away to fight others as it seemed another surge of Spettians were on the attack. Goku couldn't stand the idea of Raditz being stronger. He had to get that training for himself, and why should he let a bunch of ice aliens stop him? They were in the wrong, attacking him anyways. Alright.

Goku grounded himself in a strong stance and began gathering power as he glared towards the oncoming line of ice creatures. He pushed his palms together, winding them behind his hip as a ball of light formed between his palms and began to grow. Dodoria's eyes widened at his scouter's wild reaction to the surge in power as he jumped away from Goku and easily punched and shattered an ice creature that tried to attack Dodoria from behind.

"Ka...me...ha...me...haaaa!" Goku yelled as he projected the large ball of ki forward, though at the last second he held back, limiting the power of the energy wave. He couldn't go through with killing them. Goku still couldn't get a sense of their power, and still had doubts about just how bad the Spettians were.

The beam traveled through the long line of seemingly hundreds of incoming ice creatures channeling into the narrow opening of the valley ahead of Goku. To his disbelief, the shattering sounds and visibly disappearing remains of his enemies accompanying the kamehameha wave clearly told Goku that his attack _was_ fatal to the Spettians. Goku was shocked at how that amount of power was able to so easily take out such a large group of enemies.

As Goku stared, perplexed, towards the line of shattering ice and vanishing glowing ki ahead of him, Dodoria chuckled darkly and then easily took out the outlying figures still coming in to attack from the sides. Goku lowered his hands in shock as Dodoria finished off the last Spettian and then clicked on his scouter and grunted in approval at its readings.

Dodoria approached Goku again, clapping a hand heavily on Goku's shoulder. "Good work. Looks like we're done here."

Goku continued staring forward in disbelief. He glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Dodoria. "They weren't strong warriors at all, were they?"

"Huh?" Dodoria asked absently, having already turned to head back to their space pods. "Oh. You're disappointed because that wasn't a challenge. Lord Frieza just had to see if you had it in you to kill them. The inhabitants of this planet were a real nuisance."

Dodoria's dismissive answer caused Goku's visage to turn furious. Dodoria turned to face Goku, placing his hands on his hips with a smug smile after Goku realized, too late, that the Spettians were no match for him. No wonder he wasn't sensing any power on the planet! He should have known better. He should have realized sooner that they weren't powerful enough to withstand that attack. Goku was angry with himself. He never would have attacked those people if Frieza hadn't put him up to it. Frieza. Frieza _lied_ to him.

"Frieza said they were warriors!" Goku yelled angrily as he faced Dodoria with an aggressive stance and fists balled tightly in front of him.

Dodoria frowned deeply at Goku's attitude. " _Lord_ Frieza gives an order, and you follow, _Saiyan_." Dodoria answered reprehensibly. "Besides," he shrugged, "I'm sure if Lord Frieza misled you, he did it to put you in your place. No one refuses an order from Lord Frieza, especially not someone as fortunate as you, who was promised special training."

Dodoria scowled after speaking with a hint of jealousy. Goku bared his teeth and growled furiously at being tricked again, first by Raditz, and now Frieza. He didn't understand why they wanted this.

"Now, let's go! Lord Frieza is already nearby on Planet Frieza #258, expecting you immediately. Now that I can report a successful purge, you can begin your training." Dodoria suddenly flew off in the direction of their landing site.

Goku remained where he stood, continuing to bare his teeth in frustration. Nothing was as it should have been. Everyone he loved and cared about was dead, and now he just killed off a population of innocents, just like Raditz had wanted him to do. Goku fell to his knees as he felt sick to his stomach, then pounded his fist into the ground in frustration, leaving an icy crater before his scouter beeped in his ear.

Dodoria's voice came through his scouter. " _Now, Saiyan! Get in your space pod_!"

"No!" Goku yelled furiously in reply as he raised his head with a glare of defiance into the open air.

 _"Stupid Saiyan!"_ Dodoria exclaimed. _"If I have to come over there, I will put you in that space pod! Then Lord Frieza can deal with your insubordination when we arrive!"_

Goku growled with frustration before frowning in defeat. He knew he had no chance of winning a fight against Dodoria, and remaining on the icy, vacant planet would do him no good. Goku had nowhere else to go. So many things didn't make sense. There was only one thing that did, and it was just within his grasp.

But now, after learning of Frieza's deception, Goku felt his plans for training had come to an end. He knew he needed to get much stronger, and fast, but he didn't want to do it with Frieza's help. Goku reluctantly flew into the air, towards his space pod. When he came face to face with Frieza again, he intended to confront his would-be master over using him to harm those people. After that, he would find Raditz.

* * *

Raditz bided his time at Space Station 62-6 while Vegeta and Nappa traveled to Planet Feesh. He made careful observations of his surroundings as he awaited the return of the other three Saiyans. Vegeta and Nappa certainly made a good point. In hindsight, Raditz realized that Frieza and his right-hand men might have been working to intentionally keep his brother from seeing him. But what Frieza had planned for Kakarot, Raditz still had no idea.

He decided to keep a close eye on Cui and Zarbon. They likely knew something. Yet, it was strange that Zarbon was even at the space station, staying behind after Frieza and Dodoria had both left. What was even stranger, was that as Raditz was keeping a close eye on Zarbon, it seemed Zarbon was already prepared for him everywhere he turned. Like Zarbon was keeping an eye on him as well.

* * *

A/N: I know, the ice people are a strange breed of alien. I realize most aliens in DBZ are more humanoid, but I guess this race was a little more inspired by the pre-DBZ weirdness of Dragonball. I wanted Frieza to throw something at Goku that was more deceptive/misleading, both because it is more believable that Goku could go through with the purge this way, and it is not as dark and angst-y as if Goku killed more humanoid beings whose emotions he could clearly see. Frieza has a method to his madness. Goku's already devastated over Earth's purge. He can move on from this one, whereas a purge more reminiscent of Earth's purge might've brought Goku to the point of no return. Also, I realize that on Earth, Raditz had his scouter and Vegeta and Nappa might have overheard him and already known about Gohan. But they might have not been paying attention, which is the assumption I'm working off of, because until Raditz mentioned the Dragonballs, or at least until his fight with Piccolo and Goku (which never happened in this A/U), it seemed Vegeta and Nappa were disinterested in or not listening to what happened to Raditz on Earth.


	6. Manipulated

A voice traveled through the halls of the alien, palace-like structure on Planet Frieza #258. "Frieza!"

Frieza had been waiting there for the arrival from Planet Spetti. Goku was being restrained by Dodoria, who easily held him by both arms behind his back, despite how hard Goku was fighting to propel himself towards the room where he sensed Frieza's energy. They finally reached a doorway where Dodoria nodded to a sentry in uniform, who pushed the button to open the door, allowing Dodoria and his captive to enter.

"Frieza!" Goku demanded again when he met the expectant, stoic gaze of the tyrant.

As Goku attempted to lunge at Frieza, Frieza was casually sipping at some wine. Dodoria released his grip on Goku's arms, only to come around and clothesline the Saiyan, forcing him to fall to the ground. Goku looked up at Frieza with a glare, holding his throat and coughing violently.

" _Lord_ Frieza." Dodoria corrected Goku with amusement before stepping aside and allowing Frieza to take over.

Frieza lowered his chin with an unamused stare in Goku's direction. "Dodoria informed me on his way here about your discontent over your first purge. Perhaps I should be less generous and send you on a more life threatening mission next time."

Goku glared at Frieza's words as he rubbed his throat and stood to his feet, recovering from Dodoria's attack. "You lied to me! The people on Spetti were harmless!"

Goku balled his fists tightly in front of him, paying no attention to Dodoria's hostile Goku lunged at Frieza, attempting to attack a second time, the tyrant frowned deeply in annoyance. Frieza simply extended his free hand towards Goku, the force of his projected ki making Goku unable to move as he froze in midair. Goku's eyes widened in shock at his loss of control over his own body as the invisible force surrounding him held him in the air. Goku grunted and writhed, baring his teeth as he struggled to free himself from Frieza's hold, though he couldn't move a muscle.

"Harmless to you and Dodoria, maybe." Frieza calmly asserted as his open palm remained extended for only a moment before lowering, while Goku remained absolutely restrained, hovering inches above the ground as he was surrounded by an invisible force. Frieza smiled slyly at Goku, who became slightly confused by Frieza's response. "I only told you they were warriors. I never said they were _powerful_ warriors. They _were_ hostile and dangerous to some, even if they were weak. You and Dodoria killed them before they could act out their hostile intentions. Now what's wrong with that?"

Frieza shrug disinterestedly while sipping again at his wine. Goku ceased his struggles against Frieza's restraint as he blinked in bewilderment at Frieza's question. He was so certain before leaving Spetti that Frieza had used him to do the wrong thing. But with the way Frieza just questioned him, it seemed that the opposite was true. The Spettians had certainly proven themselves aggressive enough. Maybe they weren't in the wrong, killing the Spettians. Goku never had the chance to know just what kind of people the Spettians were before he and Dodoria killed them. Now he wished he had, because the way things were, he didn't know what to make of the situation.

As Dodoria chuckled in amusement, witnessing the way Frieza manipulated the perplexed Saiyan before him, Frieza smirked. "Maybe you should reconsider what you're really angry about. You know what _I_ think?" Frieza directed his conversation towards Dodoria with a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. "This is all misplaced aggression. He's too eager to kill his brother. The wait must be getting to him."

Dodoria smiled at Frieza, chuckling in amusement as Goku growled with frustration. It was bad enough that Frieza was so effortlessly restraining Goku, reminding him of their substantial power gap, but the mention of Raditz only made Goku more exasperated.

"Let me go!" Goku yelled irritably as he resumed fighting to remove himself from Frieza's solid hold.

Frieza frowned in surprise at the command.

"Hear that?" Dodoria said to Frieza as he mockingly pointed his thumb towards Goku's struggling, levitating form. "He wants you to let him go, Lord Frieza. He probably thinks he's ready to take on Raditz."

Dodoria laughed loudly as Frieza chuckled through his teeth with his eyes fixed on Goku. "One successful purge does not make you anywhere near ready for what I have planned for you." Frieza said to Goku as his eyes narrowed to a hard glare. "Now, you have two choices, Kakarot. You can continue with this nonsense, or you can move on to the more important matter of beginning your training!"

Frieza's voice became hurried with irritation. He was losing his patience, conversing with a stubborn Saiyan. Of course, if the Saiyan chose to continue being a nuisance, Frieza had every intention of disposing of him right then and there.

Goku grit his teeth in pain and frustration as Frieza spitefully applied more pressure on the invisible hold surrounding him. Goku suspected that he could hold his own against Raditz now, but if he was ever going to avenge his friends and family, he had to be certain that he would win that fight. He needed that training. Frieza nodded slowly to himself as he seemed to understand Goku's thought process.

"The other Saiyans are much stronger than Raditz." Frieza asserted. Goku forced himself against much resistance of Frieza's hold to raise his head and meet Frieza's gaze. "I imagine they won't be happy with you once you've killed their longtime comrade, even if you _are_ one of them."

Frieza frowned expectantly for Goku's answer. Goku scowled as his eyes darted pensively between Dodoria and Frieza.

Then he sighed heavily in resignation. "So what are we waiting for?"

Goku narrowed his eyes in determination. At that, Frieza smiled triumphantly. It would have been such a waste to do away with such a pliable tool. Frieza finally released Goku, who fell to the ground with a hard thud, landing face first before he raised his head to look at Frieza. Goku pushed himself from the ground, weakly standing before Dodoria and Frieza when Frieza pursed his lips angrily and gave a meaningful look to Dodoria.

"You think you can just barge in here and attempt to attack me without consequence?" Frieza asked as he scowled bitterly at Goku.

Then, before he could blink, Goku found himself face down on the ground, his head throbbing from the collision with Dodoria's fist. He grunted in pain, attempting to push himself up when another powerful fist collided with his back. He screamed in agony as another hit compounded his spine, then another, and another as Dodoria made quick work of delivering Goku's punishment. The volley of hits to his back finally ended a few minutes later, when Goku found himself unable to move. He didn't notice when Frieza and Dodoria left the room, but apparently they had, as a different calm, familiar voice later addressed him.

"You need to learn how to behave around here to keep yourself from ending up like this, Goku." The slightly amused alien commented as a pair of knees landed on the ground besides Goku's wide-eyed gaze.

Goku craned his neck upwards, as much as he could, attempting to view the face he expected to see. Being unable to see any higher than the shoulders, Goku rasped the name of the only person who had called him 'Goku' since he left Earth. "M-Mengo?"

A pair of hands gingerly grasped Goku's shoulders. A hum of agreement was the only response Goku heard before he screamed at the feeling of a sharp prick in his shoulder. An instant later, Goku sprang into the air, clutching his shoulder and crying out again in pain. Mengo jumped to his feet and stepped back in wide-eyed alarm at the unexpected reaction.

"Keep that thing away from me!" Goku exclaimed, backing away from Mengo and eyeing the syringe in the alien's hand.

Mengo raised a dubious brow before glancing at the syringe and back at Goku again. "You just threatened Lord Frieza and took a pounding from Dodoria and you're scared of _this_ thing?" Mengo replied with a chuckle while Goku continued backing away and watching the instrument warily.

Mengo lowered his chin and frowned deeply at Goku, completely unamused. "I already gave you the shot. Besides," Mengo continued over Goku's wary whimpering, "What did I just tell you about how to behave around here? How about a thank you?"

Mengo placed the syringe back in its open case on the ground and crossed his arms, watching Goku expectantly. Goku shut his mouth, his cries ceasing as he slightly relaxed and eyed Mengo curiously, attempting to process what he was saying.

"Th-thank you?" Goku said as he rubbed the back of his head and knitted his brows together pensively.

At the sight of Goku's obvious lack of understanding, Mengo sighed heavily and rolled his eyes at Goku. "How do you think you're walking right now?" Mengo huffed with irritation as he pointedly eyed Goku's standing position.

Goku startled and looked down at his feet, then back at Mengo. "That-that-" Goku replied as he shakily pointed at the syringe on the ground, unable to speak its name, "that healed me?"

Mengo frowned and shook his head before sighing and heading towards Goku. "No. It is only temporarily numbing your pain and enabling your mobility. We need to get you to a rejuvenation tank. Lord Frieza wants you healed as quickly as possible so you can begin your training."

Goku frowned deeply as Mengo grasped his arm and began leading him to the door of the chamber. "Another tank? I don't want to-"

"No complaining." Mengo snapped.

Goku gaped at Mengo as Mengo proceeded to lead him down the hall, past sentries and curious onlookers. Then Goku shrugged in defeat before smiling appreciatively at Mengo. "Thank you, Mengo."

Goku gazed sincerely at Mengo as they reached another chamber and another alien opened the door for them. Mengo's gaze remained fixed ahead, as he was obviously focused on his assignment, but a small smile tugged at his face as he reached for the controls of the nearest unoccupied rejuvenation tank.

"Better." Mengo praised as he flipped a final switch before turning to face Goku. "Now please, get in."

He gestured towards the empty tank. Goku frowned in disapproval, but didn't voice his distaste for the task after Mengo's earlier reprimand. He obediently sat in the rejuvenation tank. "What are you doing on this planet, anyways?"

Goku looked at Mengo curiously as he dodged the oxygen mask Mengo was attempting to place over his mouth. Goku hadn't expected to see Mengo again after leaving Space Station 62-6. It was somewhat of a relief to see a familiar face on that new planet. Even if Mengo did not consider himself a friend of Goku's, Goku already considered Mengo to be one.

Mengo frowned disappointedly at Goku's resistance to the masking, clutching the mask to his chest as he answered Goku as if explaining something simple to a child. "I go where I am needed, Goku." Mengo said as a slight prideful air overtook the usually aloof mannerisms of the alien. "I am one of the last of my race, and we have remarkable skill for handling technology. That's why Lord Frieza tends to order me to follow him around."

That last remark sounded slightly bitter, but Goku had no chance to question Mengo any further as orange hands glided over his face, carefully masking him in preparation of the healing process. Goku grimaced at the uncomfortable experience. He was unconscious the first time he had been placed in one of those devices, and this was a new experience for him. Goku's grimace only deepened when Mengo sealed the tank and fluid started filling from the bottom.

At Goku's wide-eyed, panicked expression, Mengo tsked. "Don't worry. This shouldn't take long, Goku. I believe your injuries are not extensive for your Saiyan DNA, and this is the most recent model of rejuvenation tanks. It works very quickly."

Goku slightly relaxed, but continued to frown as he warily watched the fluid reaching the level of his chin. Mengo watched patiently as the tank filled above Goku's head, only casting a few observant glances around the vacant medical wing of the alien palace in which they were residing as he waited.

"Do try to be patient in there until someone returns to release you." Mengo said firmly with a curt nod before turning on his heels and heading for the door.

Goku watched helplessly from the tank, attempting to follow Mengo's instruction. Waiting in there was a difficult task for him, but fortunately, he didn't have long to wait. Within a few hours, Goku was opening his eyes to the sight of an unfamiliar alien with an elongated cranium and spotty purple skin, standing just beyond the opening dome of the drained rejuvenation tank.

Goku removed the mask from his face as the alien slightly bowed his head and gestured towards the door. "Good, you're ready. Lord Frieza is waiting to begin your training. Right this way, Kakarot."

* * *

The ground was littered with bodies as bangs and wild explosions sounded in the distance. A group of people-men, women, and children of a slimy, slug-like appearance-ran screaming from the direction of the chaos. Then a blast of light closed in from behind them, enveloping and instantly killing the entire group.

"Got 'em!" Nappa exclaimed victoriously, following with a haughty chuckle.

 _"I'll do the final sweep, Nappa."_ Vegeta's voice responded into Nappa's scouter.

"Hey! No fair, Vegeta!" Nappa complained as he flew across the decimated wasteland of Planet Feesh to meet his superior by his side. "You did the final sweep last time!"

Vegeta turned to face Nappa as he hovered in mid-air, glaring at his subordinate. "You'll do it _next_ time."

Nappa huffed in defeat before crossing his arms. "Yeah. Alright, Vegeta."

Nappa lowered to the ground to sit himself on a rock, picking up a severed limb from one of the aliens they'd just killed and inspecting it curiously as he waited. Vegeta flew to one of the somewhat-intact structures of the planet and calmly walked around as his scouter beeped in a steady rhythm. When the scouter beeped more quickly and pointed Vegeta in another direction, he slowly stalked over there until the scouter fixated on a specific point, picking up a low power level.

Vegeta smirked wickedly as he raised his palm towards the cluster of debris before him and released a blazing blast of ki at the rubble. He laughed as the surrounding area went up in smoke, leaving nothing but a blackened, shallow crater in its place. Vegeta then checked his scouter again, to reveal no more readings in the area, and continued on his way. After flying over most of the planet and finding no other traces of survivors, Vegeta noted a few small blips on his scouter and lowered to the ground to investigate. He happened upon an adolescent child, who was temporarily exposing himself from his hiding place as he attempted to run to another one.

As the trembling, slimy alien worriedly realized he was spotted, Vegeta said in a friendly manner, "Hi."

The alien blinked cautiously as he observed Vegeta's alien appearance and calm demeanor.

"The invasion's over. We should gather all the survivors together to prepare, in case more of Frieza's men come to finish the job." After the alien child looked away, warily inspecting his surroundings, Vegeta placed his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes evilly. "Do you think you can gather the survivors together?"

The child's dubious gaze returned to him as Vegeta gave another convincing smile. The boy nodded and wordlessly turned with a heavy sigh as he waved for Vegeta to follow.

Vegeta smirked maliciously at the boy's back as he lagged behind, clicking on his scouter. "Nappa. I'll be done here in just a minute. Program the space pods for Space Station 62-6; we'll need to meet with Raditz and Kakarot from here. And find out what Raditz has been doing since we left there."

Nappa stood from his perch on the rock with his eyes widened as he heard Vegeta's sudden order over the scouter. He tossed aside the large chunk of toasted alien limb he had grabbed a bite of while waiting, before smiling to himself at the implication of Vegeta's order. He was more than ready to leave that newly uninhabited planet and get back to the space station to meet with the other Saiyans.

"Vegeta, I'm on it." Nappa replied as he pulled out a remote from his armor and pressed a series of buttons to summon and program the destinations of their space pods as instructed.

Vegeta extended his arm straight in front of him, bracing his grip with his other hand wrapped around his wrist, as he watched the baffled and scared group of Feeshian survivors gathering together. With a shout, Vegeta powered his ki, making it grow exponentially before shooting forth to engulf the massive area housing its victims. Vegeta licked his lips at the spectacle of his blazing explosion of ki enveloping the remaining survivors of the Feeshian race.

"Be right there." Vegeta replied to Nappa with a satisfied smirk before clicking his scouter off.

* * *

"Now's not a good time. I'll have to find a way to contact you later." Raditz stated hurriedly as he stood in the mess hall of Space Station 62-6 with a carefully trained eye on the figure intently approaching him.

 _"Why the hell isn't Kakarot back yet?"_

At the sound of the response in his scouter, Raditz snarled with irritation. The incoming figure came even closer, nearly within earshot before Raditz produced another rushed response. Raditz was just relieved that Nappa contacted him at a time when Zarbon was not wearing his scouter.

"It's not safe to talk now." Raditz muttered as he finally made eye contact and forced himself to nod in a friendly manner to the man who was clearly headed for him. If Raditz continued his conversation with Nappa at this point, Zarbon might overhear something and become suspicious of the purpose behind their communications.

"Raditz." Zarbon said with a nod and a smug smile as he crossed his arms and halted his approach, only leaving an arm's length of space between them. "Wha..."

Zarbon's words were jumbled in Raditz's ears as more complaints came in even louder, drowning out the sound of the conversation to which he _should_ have been paying attention. _"He should be back by now. Wiping out those Spettian weaklings shouldn't have taken more than a few hours, and the travel time to that planet was nothing like what we just had for this stupid Feesh mission. What's taking him so long? What the hell's been going on over there, Raditz?!"_

Raditz growled irately as he attempted to listen to whatever Zarbon was saying, but Nappa's ridiculous shouting was all he could hear. Raditz inconspicuously turned his gaze away from Zarbon, feigning an interest in their surroundings as he tersely responded to Nappa. "Shut up, you moron." Raditz quietly hissed into the scouter before meeting Zarbon's gaze again and smiling at him, as if Raditz understood whatever the hell Zarbon just said. "Grabbing a meal, Zarbon?" Raditz hoped the loudly spoken question would throw a hint at the dense Saiyan listening in over the scouter.

"No." Zarbon replied while a gasp of understanding finally sounded from Nappa's voice in the scouter.

Raditz sighed with relief as Zarbon continued speaking. "I'm more interested in what you've been up to, Raditz. I thought by now you would've left this space station for another planet. Space stations _are_ rather dull."

Zarbon gave a fluttering roll of his eyes as he slowly turned his head, taking in the scenery of food-devouring, nearly barbaric aliens throughout the mess hall, much like the scene Goku first witnessed when arriving at that space station. Raditz scoffed to himself. He could very well say the same thing about Zarbon's suspicious lingering presence at the space station.

"I hear the Ginyu Force is putting on an exhibition on Planet Frieza #2 soon." Zarbon said with a flippant toss of his braid from the front of his shoulder to his back.

As he heard Nappa's mocking chuckles over the scouter, Raditz had to smirk at the mention of such an event. "I have no interest in watching another one of their stupid posing routines." Raditz huffed before knitting his brows together to observe Zarbon suspiciously. "Since when do you care where _I_ go?"

Zarbon looked disarmed by the question for only a second before producing a convincing smile for Raditz. "I don't know." Zarbon answered coyly. "I was thinking we could go together. It could be fun."

Zarbon's expectant smile did not ebb in the slightest while Raditz frowned disbelievingly at him and Nappa groaned in Raditz's ear. _"What is Zarbon trying to pull?"_

For Nappa to note how out of place that invitation was, Raditz knew just how incredibly obvious it was. Zarbon always treated the Saiyans like scum, and now suddenly he was expressing an interest in cavorting around the galaxy with Raditz.

"Pff." Raditz uttered with annoyance.

He had enough of looking over his shoulder for Zarbon, like he'd been doing for the past three months. That invitation was the final straw.

"Flattered as I am," Raditz began with a facetious smirk, enjoying the way Zarbon snarled in offense to the impending rejection, "I'll have to pass. But you do make one good suggestion, Zarbon. I think I will be getting off this space station soon. See you around."

Raditz smiled slyly at Zarbon's affronted expression before dismissing himself with a bow. He walked away slowly, satisfied with knowing he had left Zarbon speechless when Nappa commented in his ear again.

 _"I'd love to see the look on Zarbon's face right now."_ Nappa chortled.

Raditz smirked as he crossed his arms, though he couldn't take the risk of conveying his other thoughts to his comrade over the scouter communication. After his earlier mistake with the space station, Raditz was intent on being extra careful. Zarbon had no idea how much Raditz's attentiveness around the space station had paid off over the past couple of months, and Raditz wanted it to stay that way.

Kakarot remained out of contact via scouter after leaving Space Station 62-6, despite Raditz's many attempts to contact his brother over the past few months. Nevertheless, Raditz knew exactly where to find Kakarot, thanks to some drunken conversation with Cui and a boastful group returned from a recent purge one night. Raditz didn't believe the ridiculous rumor that accompanied Kakarot's whereabouts, though. Raditz knew Frieza would never train a Saiyan. But Raditz was losing patience. If Kakarot didn't return soon from whatever he was doing, Raditz was going to Planet Frieza #258 to find Kakarot himself, whether Zarbon tried to stop him or not.


	7. Trapped

"Look at that," Frieza remarked in subtle amusement with his arms crossed, looking down upon Goku passed out on the rocky terrain of the training grounds, "sleeping like a baby."

Lowering his brows into a harsh glare, Frieza kicked his pupil in the ribs to wake him. Goku woke with a grunt of pain, his eyes clenching tightly shut as he reached a hand to soothingly rub his injured rib.

"Get up!" Frieza demanded impatiently.

Goku glared at Frieza for only a moment before working through his pain and forcing himself to rise to his feet. "Good morning."

Goku narrowed his eyes peevishly, which was the most pleasant greeting he could give to the man who so rudely woke him in his current hurting, hungry, and exhausted condition.

Frieza frowned. "Did you accomplished anything over the night?"

Frieza crossed his arms without even a subtle greeting to his battered pupil. Goku sighed heavily in preparation before setting his jaw with a look of determination, but then his stomach grumbled loudly, causing Frieza to grimace and then groan in dismissive disgust at the sound.

"We need to work on your strength." Frieza said. "Obviously you cannot master my techniques because you lack the speed and strength behind them."

Goku's eyes widened in understanding, and he complacently nodded in agreement before frowning at his stomach, which was continuing to grumble loudly.

"You will-"

"Can I get something to eat first?" Goku asked hopefully with a big, pleading smile as he rubbed his stomach in a soothing manner.

Frieza scowled at the interruption.

Sensing the answer would be no, Goku quickly made another appeal, "Please? Just a little something? I'll get this a lot faster if I have some food in my stomach."

Frieza frowned in consideration. As much as he preferred seeing his pupil _without_ that obnoxious grin on his face, Frieza was tired of watching him make such little progress. The whole training endeavor was beginning to feel like a waste of his time. After a few weeks of training, Frieza was having his doubts about whether he could ever make that Saiyan as strong as he wanted to. Even though he suspected that the promise of food making an improvement was only a ploy so the Saiyan could get what he wanted, he considered the likely possibility that it could actually improve the results of Goku's training.

"Fine, Kakarot. Have a quick breakfast and then you'll be returning here to lift that island." Frieza said as he pointed past the water near them, to a small island in the distance.

Goku gaped at Frieza in disbelief. "Lift an island?!"

"Yes. I'm sure you can't do it now, but if you keep trying, you'll get it eventually. Then we'll try the techniques again." Frieza replied with disinterest as his gaze diverted to the side.

Goku blinked in astounded consideration at the island, and then looked at Frieza with a wide smile. "Alright! I'll be right back after breakfast!" Goku exclaimed as he sprinted towards the alien palace-like structure where Goku, Frieza and his soldiers and servants resided. But then he stopped and turned around. "Oh!" Frieza glanced at Goku. "Could you stop calling me Kakarot? I told you, my name is Goku."

Frieza frowned and shrugged disinterestedly. "Goku, Kakarot, makes no difference to me." Frieza smirked at Goku playfully. "I could just call you monkey."

Goku frowned in bemusement of the degradation intended by Frieza's use of that name.

Then Frieza tilted his head in consideration. "Tell you what. Once you reach a power level worthy of my recognition, I'll call you Goku." Goku smiled happily at that before Frieza teasingly added, "Though I can't promise I won't call you monkey from time to time."

Goku shook his head in disregard to the statement. He was content to know that he could eat something and Frieza would actually use his correct name when he advanced in his training. He would reach that power level, for sure.

* * *

"No, no," Frieza scolded with a dismissive wave of his hand before raising his arm high in the air with his hand upturned and flattened.

A large, glowing red disk of energy formed above Frieza's palm, droning quietly as it whirled in his hand.

"Like this." He said with a smug smile.

Goku watched attentively and his eyes widened as Frieza launched directly at Goku the familiar disk Goku had been studying for the past few days of his training. Goku grimaced and froze with no chance to react to the fast-approaching attack before the disk shot upward at the very last second, breezing past him so closely that he could feel its heat singeing the fabrics against his skin. Goku let out a heavy exhale of relief as he raised his chin, following with his eyes the disk's travel into the dark gray sky. When it disappeared into the atmosphere, Goku returned his focus on Frieza, smirking in anticipation of the next challenge in spite of his recent failed attempt and Frieza's dangerously close attack. Frieza met Goku's eyes with a harsh glare.

"Did I tell you to take your eyes off of it?" Frieza suddenly asked in an angered tone.

Goku looked to the left just as Frieza waved his hand in a horizontal line. Goku jumped high in the air just in time to avoid being split in half by the returning disk.

"Hey!" Goku yelled angrily, though he was too busy following the flying disk with his eyes to direct his glare at Frieza, "are you trying to train me or kill me?!"

Frieza formed a small smile of amusement and grumbled to himself, "Good question."

Frieza's smile widened as he released the disk into a distant mountain at that moment, feeling inclined to give his pupil another interesting test. Goku was watching the mountain fall apart in two large, cleanly cut pieces when Frieza looked at him again, his smile with hopeful, sinister intentions behind it. "Now, try again."

"Alright." Goku replied as he turned his head towards Frieza with a confident smirk, apparently having already forgotten his anger in light of the given challenge.

Frieza frowned with concern at Goku's persistence. Goku's power was growing exponentially now in comparison to how the training had started out a couple of months ago, which was good for the one fact that he had far surpassed Raditz. The impending fight between the brothers would bring the number of surviving Saiyans back to three and create a rift between the Saiyans, effectively ceasing any threat Vegeta and his men might pose to Frieza's empire, just as Frieza had planned.

Yet, the newest Saiyan's ability to quickly increase his power level was concerning, because Frieza wanted to make the Saiyan stronger, only to an extent. He had heard Vegeta's ludicrous ramblings about the Super Saiyan too many times to forget, though he tried to convince himself that it was just a myth. Frieza decided there was no way someone who had initially come to him so weak would ever reach a level of power that could threaten him. But strangely, despite everything going as planned, Frieza had a slight feeling of unease in the back of his mind.

Goku took a deep breath and closed his eyes to focus. He was tired and hungry. They had been practicing one technique after another, nonstop, though Goku would not complain about pain or exhaustion, not when there was so much riding on his training. He could've killed for a senzu bean, though. Seeing that nothing like that was available on that planet, and Goku had already acquired a strong dislike of the rejuvenation tanks he had come to know so well over the course of his brutal training, he would tough it out and tolerate the current conditions.

So he recalled everything he had just observed from Frieza, every subtle movement and surge of power with that technique, and raised his open palm in the air. Frieza pursed his lips expectantly as a flat, glowing red disk formed over Goku's hand. Goku felt a small smile tug at his face, but that was only the easy part. He exhaled again before narrowing his eyes at the target before him and forcefully launching the disk forward, just as Frieza had done. It moved towards Frieza, just as it was supposed to do, and Goku clenched his fist tightly as he worked to pull it up. It wasn't budging. He persisted in his efforts, but the disc only continued to travel straight forward. Goku growled through his struggle as Frieza frowned deeply at the approaching disk until he appeared to take a direct hit from it.

"Lord Frieza!" Goku called with his eyes widened in fear as an explosive noise sounded and a dust cloud formed around the point of impact. However, it quickly cleared, revealing a completely unharmed, unmoving Frieza. Goku gawked in disbelief at the sight of Frieza's effortless survival.

"Don't look so surprised." Frieza tittered. "You couldn't even put a scratch on me at your power level."

Goku frowned at the insult. Then he met Frieza's gaze and smirked challengingly. "Not yet."

"Again!" Frieza immediately replied with an annoyed glare at Goku's tenacity.

He was hoping to break the weakling Saiyan at some point during his training. Of course he would have built him up again after he was broken, or all the time spent training him would have been for nil. But the relentless bastard was ruining his fun. This wasn't nearly as entertaining for Frieza as he intended it to be. They were almost done with the training and his pupil had hardly suffered enough.

"Again?" Goku questioned with a whine, his posture finally deflated as he placed a hand against his stomach. "But we've been at this all day. Can't we grab a bite to eat?"

Frieza smirked victoriously. Maybe the _training_ didn't have his pupil suffering, but at least he could watch him suffer in another way. As Goku continued expectantly watching Frieza for permission, Frieza's smirk fell into a disbelieving frown. The Saiyan clearly expected to be rewarded with food when he hadn't done anything worth rewarding. This complaining about food was incredibly annoying.

"Again with the food?" Frieza grumbled as he crossed his arms tightly and glared at his pupil.

Goku smiled sheepishly, still expecting a positive reply.

"You're even worse than your brother with that disgusting appetite of yours." Frieza sneered as he looked away from Goku with distaste.

"Yeah, sorry." Goku apologized with a disingenuous shrug. "So? Can we-"

"No! And if you don't master this technique today, we will be skipping dinner. Or at least, _you_ will."

"No dinner? But Lord Frieza, I'm starving!" Goku whined with a terrified expression.

Frieza nodded curtly. "Then I suggest you get back to work." Frieza narrowed his eyes calculatedly at the small, orange, distant sun in the gray sky of their training planet, noting its position in order to gauge the time. "I'll leave you to it for now. When I return, if you haven't mastered that attack, we will resume first thing in the morning." Frieza's tone was strict and left no room for argument.

Goku groaned loudly in disappointment at Frieza's directive, to which Frieza glared furiously. "Now!" Frieza yelled with a wind-sweeping surge of power.

Goku jumped nervously in response. "Okay, okay." Goku grumbled as he took a stance and repeated his earlier actions, forming the disk again and focusing on his task, paying no attention to Frieza's disappearance as the tyrant slipped away.

While Goku spent yet another day training, struggling to achieve the power he strongly desired, Frieza returned indoors to his comfortable chambers to check on the progress of his other soldiers in the field and oversee his continually growing empire.

* * *

Raditz laid in his bed on his back, staring at the stark white ceiling of his cell-like room with his arms crossed behind his head. His breathing was slowing as his eyelids were closing and he was drifting to sleep. He had nothing better to do at that space station anymore. He'd already fought with anyone he could at the place and eaten his fill of what little variation of alien foods they offered. He preferred his cell now, because it was the one place he could avoid being on a constant leash with Cui and Zarbon. But his room was boring.

Vegeta and Nappa were on their way from Feesh, probably close by now. Kakarot still wouldn't reply to Raditz's calls. Raditz assumed the idiot somehow already forgot how to use his scouter, but even if he had, there should have been someone around to remind him. But Raditz was tired. So tired of waiting at that stupid place for everyone else to arrive. He had tried to leave on a few occasions, but either Zarbon or Cui were always at the launch pad, inconspicuously watching. He'd decided not to go through with it each time. Raditz wasn't sure why, but something in his gut was telling him not to let those two know where he was headed.

His eyelids lowered a little more, closing completely as he grunted in dismissal of any more frustrating thoughts. His mind became restful just as a loud, summoning buzz sounded from his doorway, awaking Raditz like a blaring alarm clock. Raditz's eyes shot open in alarm at the intruding call at his chamber, just when he had finally drifted to sleep.

He growled loudly in annoyance at the disturbance, gritting his teeth and remaining in bed. "What?!"

"Raditz? Are you in there?"

Raditz closed his eyes again and groaned. He recognized that voice, even with it muffled behind his door. It was Cui. And he thought he was safe from them in here.

"Yes. I'm still here." Raditz replied curtly, opening his eyes to glare at his doorway.

Raditz was shocked that Cui was going to the extent of waking him from sleep to make sure he hadn't left. Raditz realized he would have to be even sneakier about leaving the space station than he already thought if he wanted to go to Planet Frieza #258 without being followed or reported.

"A few of us were just heading to the mess hall. Figured _you'd_ want to join." Cui volunteered tauntingly in his slimy, detestable voice. Cui had to be an idiot to be disturbing Raditz in his room. Or he was doing it intentionally to bother Raditz. The latter was more likely the case.

"Go away!"

"Oh? You're not hungry?" Cui asked with a gasp of theatric surprise.

In response, Raditz growled irately and loudly enough for Cui to hear him. Even if that purple fish face was stronger than Raditz, Raditz wasn't going to tolerate being insulted in his own domain.

The sound of loud, taunting laughter traveled down the hall, away from his door, as Cui had clearly dismissed himself, finding amusement in annoying Raditz. If that mongrel didn't have a power level on par with Vegeta, Raditz would have chased him down and made him pay for laughing like that. Instead, he settled for crossing his arms tightly and laying back in bed again, attempting to relax as he shut his eyes tightly. His eyes twitched with irritation as all his frustrations prevented him from finding that restfulness from earlier a second time.

"Damn you, Kakarot. We'll meet again soon enough." Raditz grumbled aloud to himself as he continued twitching irritably in his bed, in his institutional room, in the space station he had inhabited for much too long.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Lord Frieza?" Goku asked, entering Frieza's chamber to join Frieza, Dodoria, and Mengo.

Mengo was busily suiting Dodoria's armor with some new technology as Frieza and Dodoria both frowned reprehensibly at Goku's entrance.

"Oh! Right!" Goku chuckled guiltily before bowing on one knee and standing up again.

Dodoria rolled his eyes while Frieza frowned at the Saiyan. Mengo shook his head in disappointment but tried to mind his own business by not watching their interaction while he focused on his technical work.

"I think it's time we put your training to the test, Goku." Frieza said as Goku nodded with determination at the suggestion.

Goku knew this was coming, and he couldn't wait to see how his months of training had paid off. He hoped he'd have a chance to spar with Dodoria. That would be an excellent test of how far he'd come. He narrowed his eyes challengingly at Dodoria with that thought, but the alien only frowned back at him with a lack of amusement.

"I'm sending you to acquire a planet for me. Alone." Frieza informed Goku as Goku's head snapped back to Frieza in wide-eyed shock.

Goku thought once his training began, Frieza wouldn't want to use him for another purge. Even with the reassurance that the victims were deserving of what they'd received, that purge still bothered Goku. Goku couldn't do that again. He wouldn't.

Goku glared back at Frieza. "I'm sorry, Lord Frieza. But I can't do that. My answer is no." He said firmly, but quietly.

Dodoria balked at his audacity and Frieza glowered furiously at the refusal. Mengo visibly cringed upon hearing Goku's reply, but he ducked his head in a cowering position, avoiding any eye contact as he was finishing with Dodoria's scouter.

"No?" Frieza replied with a smug, facetious air.

"No."

"You seem to have forgotten to whom you are speaking. I wasn't _asking_." Frieza replied in a cold, deathly tone.

Frieza raised his tail slightly before harshly swinging it down on the ground, slapping loudly and leaving a deep dent in the broken tiles as it raised again. Dodoria and Mengo winced as they recognized the familiar signs of Frieza's anger, but Goku held his ground with a determined stare.

"You will go to Planet Raiss and wipe out their species with your newfound power, or you will die." Frieza scowled as he spoke, and then deliberately pointed at Goku with a finger glowing red.

Goku's eyes momentarily widened at the alarming threat. But Goku knew Frieza had too much invested in him after all that training. Though he didn't understand why, Goku knew it was important to Frieza that Goku be the one to kill his brother.

"You wouldn't do that." Goku replied confidently. "You want me to kill Raditz too badly."

"Hm." Frieza reluctantly conceded with a huff as he lowered his finger to the ground, remitting its crimson glow while he continued glaring warningly at Goku. "You'd better leave right away."

"Didn't you hear me?" Goku asked in a hushed, angered tone, before raising his voice to Frieza. "I won't be responsible for another unnecessary death! No more purges!"

Frieza raised a brow and pursed his lips at Goku's stubbornness considerately before averting his gaze to the side and smirking at Mengo, who was watching the interaction with open concern for Goku by that point. Goku followed Frieza's gaze as Mengo startled in discomfort over suddenly becoming noticed by both of them.

"A friend of yours?" Frieza asked Goku with an amused smirk as Goku opened his mouth to utter a reply, too confounded by the turn in their conversation to respond. "Hm. Let's see." Frieza added as he raised his hand steadily and swiftly towards Mengo.

Mengo trembled fearfully as his and Goku's eyes bulged in realization.

"No!" Goku yelled as an incredibly fast beam of ki shot from Frieza's hand, hitting Mengo and killing him in an instant explosion.

Goku stared agape at the smoldering vapor that remained where Mengo had been. The innocent alien that dutifully worked for Frieza's empire, assembling and fixing technology, harmless to everyone, was killed in an instant, like his life meant nothing, right before their eyes. Frieza smiled triumphantly at Goku as Dodoria stared at the explosion so close to himself with wide-eyed fear for his own safety.

"Mengo!" Goku yelled as his eyes widened in shock before he turned to Frieza with a hard glare.

Mengo did nothing wrong. The calloused act Goku had just witnessed cemented in his mind the true nature of what kind of a person Frieza was. After what he'd just witnessed, Goku realized that the Spetti purge had been just as cruel as he originally thought it was. Frieza was willing to take an innocent life without a second thought, just to make people do what he wanted for him. Like he wanted Goku to use all that training to keep hurting more people for Frieza. Goku angrily bared his teeth at the tyrant, slowly shaking his head in disbelief.

"Now you _are_ responsible for another unnecessary death." Frieza said with mirth. "It seems your argument is now moot."

"You're a monster!" Goku yelled as he furiously clenched his fists and raised his power, glaring at Frieza.

Dodoria blinked in alarm at the high power fluctuation readings on his newly affixed scouter before Goku lunged at Frieza, reaching him and striking his face, though Frieza remained unharmed and frowned with a cold stare as Goku slowly released his fist from Frieza's unmarred cheek. Goku could do nothing but stare in disbelief as he was only inches before the infuriated alien, utterly helpless against him.

Frieza glared furiously at Goku in silence, his hard gaze never leaving Goku's fearful one. "Now are you beginning to understand?" Frieza finally asked with irritation. "You will do what I say, or someone _else_ will pay next time!"

Frieza widened his eyes intently, a white glow hazing over them before Goku was propelled forcefully outside of the chamber by Frieza's energy. The door sealed shut after Goku collided against the metal lining of the opposite wall of the hallway with two impossible choices: to defy Frieza again with the possible consequence of being witness to and responsible for more murders like Mengo's, or to obey Frieza's order and leave to purge Planet Raiss.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews on these past few chapters, guys! I love to know what you're thinking, especially with a story like this that can so easily change direction in each chapter.

 **Regarding power levels and timeline:** I realize I've been leaving you all in the dark on power levels since Goku's was discussed by Frieza and his guys. It's not because I forgot! (Thanks, for asking about it).

In DBZ, the characters check power levels when in a fight or looking for someone, and you never know where their powers are while training. The two purges were the only occasions where power levels were checked, and Vegeta read a 'low power level' because it was pretty obvious that the aliens were much weaker than him, so the specific number didn't seem significant. Dodoria read the Spettian power levels, but Goku didn't, and that purge was meant to be seen through his eyes. So power levels haven't been forgotten, just intentionally kept vague.

Most characters are at their canon power levels at this point. Raditz had a zenkai boost after taking that beating from Zarbon and healing, and he trained while waiting at the space station, so his power has increased. Goku had a zenkai boost after Frieza nearly killed him at the space station, and after he was punished by Dodoria after the purge, and a few more during his training with Frieza. He also trained at the space station, as well as his rigorous three months of training with Frieza.

Speaking of those three months, in case anyone is losing track, Goku arrived at the ss 2 months after Earth's purge, Vegeta and Nappa had four months of travel time for their round trip mission, Raditz has been waiting at the ss for nearly four months, and Goku trained with Frieza for three months (his other time was filled with traveling and the Spetti purge) before Frieza decided to send him on this latest purge. It has been almost six months since Raditz first met Goku at this point (if you look back through the details, it all should check out, but like the show, I am not explicitly writing the passing of time into the story).


	8. Pawns

"He's not here. I don't think he's anywhere in this entire space station, Vegeta." Nappa complained as he stepped out of Raditz's temporary assigned room at Space Station 62-6 to meet Vegeta's impassively waiting form in the hall.

"Raditz." Vegeta called quietly as he pressed a finger into his scouter.

The two Saiyans waited a beat, and when there was no response, Nappa followed suit and did the same into his own scouter. Vegeta growled with frustration and angrily ripped his scouter from his ear when there was still no reply.

"Why would Raditz leave the space station without telling us about it?" Nappa complained as Vegeta scowled deeply at Raditz's doorway.

Vegeta had no idea why Raditz would act on his own like that. Raditz _had_ been somewhat secretive the last time they communicated, though. Maybe there was something going on that Vegeta didn't already know about. If there was anything out of the ordinary causing Raditz to leave the space station unannounced, Vegeta knew that Frieza had to be behind it. Even if that was the case, that idiot should have let them know of his whereabouts before they wasted their time traveling to a space station with no one important.

Vegeta's eyes flicked to the side when he noted someone hurriedly approaching. He smirked when he recognized who it was. It seemed there still _was_ someone at the space station that was somewhat important, and judging by his frazzled appearance, Vegeta suspected he was concerned about Raditz's disappearance as well. Vegeta smirked as the new arrival met them in the hall, looking surprised to see them there.

"Zarbon."

"Vegeta, Nappa." Zarbon replied, looking like he was struggling to regain some appearance of composure. "What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for Raditz." Nappa replied gruffly.

Vegeta gritted his teeth in annoyance as the idiot so readily opened his mouth. He wanted to leave Zarbon in the dark a little longer, but that opportunity was already blown.

Nappa suspiciously raised a brow. "What about you, Zarbon?"

Vegeta smirked as Zarbon balked speechlessly. Everyone in the planetary trade knew Zarbon hardly left Frieza's side, and Frieza had been gone from that space station for months. It was very suspicious.

"Your master finally let you off your leash?" Vegeta teased cruelly, causing Zarbon to glare at him.

"Hey, Vegeta," Nappa chuckled as he crossed his arms, "you think if we return his lost pet, Lord Frieza might reward us?"

Vegeta raised his brows and frowned at Nappa as he was slightly impressed by how brazen he was being. Vegeta might have been able to pull it off, but pissing off Zarbon was a risky move for someone with a power level as low as Nappa's.

Zarbon bared his teeth in anger before calming himself and raising his chin to look down his nose upon the other two. "Don't forget who you are speaking to. Lord Frieza does value me, _much_ more than he values you. And you know as well as I do that he's your master as much as he is mine. At least I _enjoy_ serving Lord Frieza."

Nappa smirked as Zarbon was turning to leave them in a dismissive manner. "Yeah. You enjoy _serving_ him, alright." Nappa muttered under his breath.

Zarbon spun with an incredulous glare as Vegeta chuckled through his teeth. Nappa was an idiot, but sometimes he wasn't all that bad to have around.

"Just what are you insinuating?!"

"Uh...what?" Nappa replied dumbly as he scratched his head.

Vegeta realized with a groan that Nappa would be _better_ to have around if he had a more expansive vocabulary. "Zarbon!" Vegeta yelled insistently to interrupt the temporarily amusing but completely pointless conversation. "What happened to Raditz?"

"H-how should I know?" Zarbon replied incredulously. "I don't keep tabs on that monkey."

Vegeta choked down an angered growl at that insult. "You don't, huh?"

Zarbon frowned deeply at Vegeta's question.

Vegeta crossed his arms with an accusing glare. "Something tells me that's exactly what you've been doing here."

Before Zarbon could respond, a purple, spotty-skinned alien in Frieza's uniform approached Zarbon in a rush. As Zarbon turned to face him, the alien gave a curt bow and a curious glance at Vegeta and Nappa before speaking. "Sir! We were able to identify the destination. He departed for Planet Frieza #258!"

Zarbon bared his teeth in annoyance before looking at Vegeta and Nappa with an alarmed expression. Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he considered Zarbon, reading into the meaning behind his alarm over them hearing that.

"That was for my ears only!" Zarbon yelled at the alien with frustration. "Oh, Lord Frieza will..." Zarbon trailed off his misery-laden grumbling when he remembered his mixed company and turned to the informative alien with a harsh glare. "Get out of here!"

The subordinate was frowning guilty at Zarbon's reprimand as he realized his slip. Vegeta smirked with satisfaction. Now that he knew where to find Raditz, Vegeta wanted to know what was on that planet that Frieza wanted Raditz kept away from so badly. It seemed maybe Raditz was using his head for a change when he decided to leave that space station unannounced.

"Planet Frieza #258?" Vegeta questioned Zarbon with an amused raise of his brow. He looked at Nappa with a directive nod towards the hall. "Let's go, Nappa."

"Wait! Where do you think you're going?" Zarbon called after them worriedly.

Vegeta frowned and glanced over his shoulder to meet Zarbon's panicked gaze. Something very important to Frieza was definitely on that planet. Something he wanted the Saiyans to stay away from. Vegeta would think that meant Kakarot was there, but it was hard to believe Frieza would go to such an extent to keep the weakling subordinate from the other Saiyans. His joining them couldn't pose that much of a threat.

"You're not keeping tabs on _us_ now, are you, Zarbon?" Vegeta challenged tauntingly, knowing Frieza's lap dog couldn't question them any further after that query without acknowledging that it was exactly what he was doing.

As expected, Zarbon growled with frustration and had nothing else to say. Vegeta turned to leave again, heading towards the launch pad as Nappa strode by his side. After seeing the look on Zarbon's face, Vegeta couldn't wait to see what he'd find on Planet Frieza #258.

* * *

Frieza rolled his eyes as a voice droned on in his scouter. Dodoria entered the room at that moment, alerting Frieza again as Frieza was just about to doze off in his boredom.

"Lord Frieza." Dodoria quietly greeted with a nod as he took a seat in the chair next to Frieza's to relax beside his master.

"Captain Ginyu," Frieza finally drawled in response to the droning voice, "don't you already have enough members on your force?"

Dodoria frowned and met Frieza's gaze as he listened in on the conversation over his own scouter, before lifting a nearby pitcher to offer Frieza a drink. Frieza shrugged in agreement to the drink when he realized Ginyu had finished his lengthy response over the scouter and was waiting for a reply.

"You'll figure it out." Frieza huffed dismissively, clicking his scouter off and ending the conversation as he accepted his filled glass from Dodoria. "I'll never understand that Ginyu." Frieza sipped at his glass. "Perfectly reliable, but utterly ridiculous."

Dodoria chuckled awkwardly and shrugged in response. Frieza smirked at that. He knew Dodoria likely felt the same way, but didn't want to risk being caught badmouthing the much stronger Ginyu.

"How long do you expect that Saiyan will take to complete the purge?" Dodoria asked curiously, changing the topic of their conversation as he relaxed in his chair and sipped his own drink.

"If my training was adequate," Frieza began with a cold stare towards a distant wall, "I would expect him to purge that planet within a day or two once he gets there."

"A day or two?" Dodoria asked in wide-eyed disbelief.

Frieza smiled smugly at Dodoria's reaction. That planet had a strong fighting population, and it was likely that it could take longer for the Saiyan, but Frieza was rating him on a level nearing Dodoria's abilities, which was clearly what was bothering Dodoria.

"There's no way that Saiyan could complete that purge so quickly!"

"Are you questioning my training, Dodoria?" Frieza asked with a hostile glare.

"No! No, Lord Frieza!" Dodoria exclaimed with a wary waving of his hands and a nervous smile.

Frieza smiled to himself, just as his scouter beeped in his ear again. " _Lord Frieza!"_

"Zarbon?" Frieza responded with a curious raise of his brow as he pressed his scouter. He had been receiving regular communications from Zarbon since they'd been separated, so he was not surprised to hear from Zarbon, though he was surprised by Zarbon's excitable tone. Dodoria clicked on his scouter beside Frieza, listening in as well once he heard who was calling.

" _I need to warn you, Lord Frieza."_ Zarbon said, _"I'm afraid Raditz slipped away from me."_ A hesitant pause followed as Frieza narrowed his eyes impatiently. _"I'm sorry! Somehow he left the space station, escaping the notice of either Cui or myself!"_ Zarbon added hurriedly.

"Where did he go, Zarbon?" Dodoria asked immediately.

"… _He's coming to you. He must've discovered that his brother is there somehow."_

Frieza calmly groaned in subtle annoyance, before smiling knowingly at Dodoria's concerned visage. "Let him come." Frieza replied with a smug smile.

Dodoria stared back at Frieza, astounded by his calm demeanor as Zarbon audibly gasped in surprise over the scouter. " _A-alright."_

"So you're free to leave the space station and come here, Zarbon." Dodoria suggested, looking subserviently to Frieza for agreement.

Frieza tapped his finger impatiently against the arm of his chair as Zarbon took too long to respond. "Is there something else?"

" _Y-yes…"_

"Well?" Frieza growled as he continued tapping and scowled with frustration. "It's not like you to keep me waiting, Zarbon."

" _I'm afraid Nappa and Vegeta…are on their way there as well."_

"What?! How?" Dodoria replied angrily.

"Follow them!" Frieza ordered without hesitation.

He didn't care about the details that led to Vegeta and Nappa following Raditz to Planet Frieza #258. But he wouldn't have them interfering with his well-planned confrontation between the Saiyan brothers. Frieza was looking forward to seeing a Saiyan die soon, but he wanted to preserve the lives of the more useful ones. All of them coming together at once could be a disaster.

" _Yes, Lord Frieza!"_ Zarbon replied in panting breath, as he was obviously already on the move as they spoke. At least Frieza knew his henchmen were still somewhat reliable.

"Tell Cui to follow also." Frieza added, looking to Dodoria, though he didn't care whether Dodoria or Zarbon relayed the message.

" _Yes, Lord Frieza! We'll keep Nappa and Vegeta out of the way."_ Zarbon promised with a newfound tone of confidence.

Frieza was not impressed. "You'd better, Zarbon. Because if those Saiyans interfere with my plans, you and Cui will suffer _severe_ consequences."

Frieza growled before clicking off his scouter. He glanced to his side to notice Dodoria was having a separate conversation in his scouter, issuing orders to someone. He was likely summoning Cui. After issuing a threat like that, Frieza knew his men would be more diligent about their performance. It was good to keep the men on their toes; even the most loyal of men required constant discipline.

* * *

Raditz stepped out of his space pod, squinting into the light from the planet's sun, which was practically blinding as Raditz's eyes adjusted from the darkness of space and the interior of his pod. He landed at some obscure location on Planet Frieza #258, creating a crater in the sandy, rocky terrain. He intentionally avoided the landing docks, because he wanted to find his brother, rather than being met by Frieza's minions and purposefully led away from Kakarot.

In the distance, Raditz could see the massive structure where Frieza and the others would be residing. It was the only location where his scouter was detecting power levels, so he flew in that direction. He entered the building without problem, the sentries stepping aside and nodding to him in cold welcome as he passed through the halls. There was no power level similar to his brother's that he could find.

As he walked the halls with a diligent search through his scouter turning up empty, Raditz realized Frieza likely expected him by now. Even if Raditz had slipped past Zarbon and Cui, those two would have eventually discovered his escape from the space station and his destination. The time it took to arrive at that planet took away the element of surprise for his arrival. After a long, fruitless search, Raditz reluctantly headed towards Frieza's chambers after he realized there was no trace of Kakarot around the palace.

Raditz bowed after entering the chamber, into which he was easily granted access by the sentries. "Lord Frieza, I am sure by now you know I am here in search of my brother, Kakarot." Raditz had no problem admitting as much. It was too obvious to deny. Besides, he had never been ordered to stay away from his brother.

"Yes, Raditz. It seems you managed to give both Cui and Zarbon the slip." Frieza replied in a mellow tone.

Raditz frowned down at the ground as he remained on one knee. He was surprised that Frieza so readily admitted to having Raditz watched. Raditz decided that he was better off keeping his mouth shut until Frieza said what he wanted to say. For all he knew, the tyrant's next decision would have been some punishment for something Raditz had recently done wrong.

"Bravo." Frieza drawled sarcastically after a long pause.

Raditz sighed heavily in relief. At least Frieza wasn't angry. "My scouter is not picking up Kakarot's power level anywhere in this structure, or on the planet for that matter, Lord Frieza."

Dodoria took a hasty step forward with a scowl. "Maybe that's because he's not here."

Dodoria's snide reply was immediately followed by Frieza smugly adding, "Or maybe that's because you're searching for the wrong power level."

Raditz quirked a brow at that, raising his chin quickly enough to catch the sight of Frieza shooting Dodoria an inconspicuous warning glare. Whether Kakarot had left, or was still on the planet with a different power level was a question that now had Raditz deeply perturbed. If Kakarot's power level had changed, it had to be greater than before, but how much greater? Raditz recalled that rumor about training that he had easily dismissed a month ago.

Raditz raised his chin a little more, deliberately meeting Frieza's gaze with open suspicion. Frieza smirked vindictively as Raditz began to worry. He knew he had personal business to attend to with his brother, who was furious with him the last time they spoke, which was months ago.

 _Months_ that Kakarot had spent in the company of that calculated tyrant, who had the surviving Saiyans convinced for decades that their home planet had been destroyed by a meteor rather than by his own destructive hand. The tyrant who had convinced them to willingly bow to and work for him, before they realized the truth and found themselves reluctantly bound in his service. The tyrant who apparently now had willingly trained one of their own race. Any conceivable reasons behind Frieza's motives to do so were bad. Very bad.

Raditz rose to his feet, crossing his arms and staring Dodoria down to conceal his discomfort. The other two weren't saying anything more. Something was wrong here, like Raditz was missing out on some big joke that the other two were privately enjoying.

"Well then. For what power level _should_ I be searching?" Raditz finally asked.

Dodoria smirked at Frieza, who smiled back at Dodoria, their mannerisms making it undeniable that they were enjoying themselves at Raditz's expense. Raditz glared angrily at Dodoria before scowling at Frieza, just as his scouter beeped. The echoing beeps from across the room indicated that Frieza's and Dodoria's scouters had picked up on the arrival as well.

Raditz turned his head in the indicated direction of his scouter, though they were indoors and there was nothing to see there but a blank wall. When the data from the incoming pod finished registering, Raditz turned to Frieza and Dodoria with a questioning gaze. They looked away from one another to meet Raditz's expectant gaze with haughty smiles.

Frieza's eyes lit excitedly as he spoke. "It seems your brother has just returned from Raiss, Raditz. And just in time to greet you."

Raditz furrowed his brow at Frieza. Was he suggesting that the power from that space pod that his scouter had just picked up on...was Kakarot? That was impossible. But as Raditz looked disbelievingly at Frieza with that thought, Frieza nodded slowly, his smug grin never leaving his face.

"That power level is over two thousand. It can't be Kakarot."

"Oh, but it is. Why don't you go see for yourself?" Frieza smirked triumphantly.

He waved his arm and extended his hand in a grand gesture, his other poised behind his back as he reinforced his dismissive permission to Raditz with a slight bow. Raditz walked out the door of the chamber, warily watching Frieza and Dodoria's suspicious behavior . He had to know if Frieza was up to something, and if it was Kakarot, he wanted the chance to speak with him one on one before Frieza or anyone else might follow.

Raditz ran down the long hall with a hurried shake of his head, backtracking through his original path towards Frieza as he exited the building. Once he passed through the large outer doors, Raditz flew into the air, narrowing his eyes in determination as he followed the directive on his scouter towards that newly arrived power level. Along his flight, Raditz checked it again. He pushed a button on his scouter to hone in on that power level until he saw the clear reading of 2,300.

Raditz scoffed to himself. Frieza had to be pulling his leg if he was truly suggesting that it was Kakarot. Raditz knew he had become stronger since first meeting Kakarot, and he expected no less of his little brother. But Kakarot's power level was below five hundred when they met. No one improved that quickly in a few short months.

Raditz narrowed his eyes as he sighted the crater of the crash site coming into view. Raditz hoped to settle things with his brother by talking. Even if Kakarot was still holding a grudge over his friends and family and felt the need for action, Raditz was prepared to face him. He felt he could handle a power level of 2,300, now that he had become stronger since their first reunion as well. Raditz refused to feel threatened by his little brother.

As Raditz arrived, his feet hitting the ground at the crash site, his eyes never left the sealed space pod. He crossed his arms and waited patiently as the space pod's engine continued hissing from the exertion of its journey. All Raditz had to do was wait and see if it was Kakarot. Within a few minutes, the seal broke, and the hatch opened on the space pod. Raditz peered through the opening, hoping to catch a glimpse of its inhabitant. A hand emerged, grasping the frame of the hatch before a familiar mass of spiky black hair protruded into the sunlight, to which Raditz smiled to himself in recognition.

The black hair shifted as that head turned while the space traveler stepped out, looking surprised to see Raditz, before he glared angrily with his own recognition. Kakarot looked like a true Saiyan in that moment, more like their father than when he and Raditz first met. Raditz's expression didn't waver as he met his brother's eyes. Goku stepped onto the soil outside his space pod, fists tightly clenched beside him and chin lowered as one pair of angered black eyes fixed on another. Raditz nodded to himself slowly. Kakarot was certainly still holding a grudge.

Yet, Raditz greeted his brother with an artful smile. "Hello, Kakarot."

"Raditz."

* * *

A/N: Of course that power level doesn't necessarily tell the whole story, and this chapter leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which will be answered as more chapters unfold. With the way Goku's power progressed in the show, I think that gives me free range to almost choose any level for him without being wrong. He trains for years in DB to get a power level around 500, then within a few months of training with King Kai (most of his year was spent on Snake Way) his power level increases to over 9000 (more with kaioken), then after healing from the Saiyan fight and pushing his body to the limits, he trains for six days and increases his power level to almost 200,000, then he gets a huge jump with Super Saiyan transformation, then he trains for three years for the androids and seems to hardly make a change in his power before he has to do more training to face Cell. Following that track record makes it difficult to predict a fair range of Goku's power level after a bunch of zenkai boosts and three months of training under Frieza, but I assure you that I am thinking this through. I honestly have not decided yet where his power level should be, but as usual, scouter readings are misleading in regards to Goku. As usual, let me know what you think. Reviews are helpful and excellent fuel for more chapters.


	9. Confrontation

Raditz glared and crossed his arms as he met the eyes of his visibly seething brother. "Kakarot! Why have you been so impossible to reach all this time?"

"Why do you think I would talk to you, after everything you've done?" Goku replied with control, though his expression didn't soften in the slightest.

Raditz clenched his teeth with annoyance at his brother's relentless pursuit of retribution for those worthless lives. "You're still-" Raditz cut his complaint off as his brother growled and bared his teeth at the unwelcome response with which Raditz began. "Look, I understand why you're upset about the kid." Raditz relented, tossing his hair and looking away from Goku with discomfort. "I'm sorry I had to kill him."

His eyes lowered to the ground as he admitted as much. Raditz truly was sorry about that. He realized what a mistake it was in regards to their rebellion against Frieza, and he attributed his brother's only reasonable grudge to that death alone. Goku frowned somberly back at Raditz in a prolonged, wordless silence.

"He put up a good fight, though. You should be proud, Kakarot."

Goku's demeanor suddenly softened as he gawked in open-mouthed disbelief and his eyes widened in shock at Raditz's assertion. Then he contorted his brows deeply in bewilderment. "G-Gohan... _fought_ you?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he put you to shame, once he decided to show me his power. But he should have known better than to fight against me. I would have taken him from Earth with me if he hadn't." Raditz frowned somberly. "He faced his death like a true warrior. Like I said, you should be proud."

Goku was staring back at Raditz in awe of his revelation, but then he glared at Raditz furiously. Raditz only further cemented in Goku's mind what he'd lost. "You mean proud of my son's strength that I'll never be able to see for myself? Proud to live on when everyone I ever cared about is dead? Proud to be stuck out here with Frieza, like my brother? That there's nothing left in this world to protect?!"

Raditz's eyes widened in alarm as he realized he'd made a mistake. His attempt to make peace with his brother only seemed to make things worse. Raditz bared his teeth in frustration. His brother had no business reacting that way. If it weren't for Raditz finding him, Kakarot would have spent his entire life ignorant of his heritage and stranded on a backwater planet. Kakarot would never have the chance to avenge their race, their planet, their parents, if Raditz hadn't clued him in. It wasn't Raditz's fault that his brother was living in blissful ignorance before Raditz came along.

"Maybe some things are more important than your precious little Earth."

"Like what? The family we still have left?" Goku replied acidly as his eyes narrowed and he shifted forward in an aggressive position.

"Like our pride." Raditz said with a glare. "The rest of the Saiyan race may be dead, but we live on. It is up to us to show the rest of the universe what a proud and mighty race we are."

Goku removed his fixed gaze from Raditz to observe the appearance of another energy he sensed approaching. He frowned when he realized who it was. The sensors on both brothers' scouters detected the change as well, beeping hastily as they registered the extremely high power level that could only be one person, along with another.

Goku scoffed as he looked at Raditz again. "Some proud race. I now know exactly what you've been doing while I was living on Earth. The only thing Saiyans are good for is killing at _his_ bidding."

Goku nodded pointedly towards Frieza as he and Dodoria finally reached them, stopping at a distance to observe the fight from the sidelines.

Frieza smirked at Raditz as Goku frowned solemnly at his brother. "That, and killing innocent people just for the fun of it. Like you killed all of _them_. You're not sorry."

Goku's frown deepened as he slowly shook his head in disappointment and raised his fists in front of himself, taking a hostile stance towards his brother. Raditz growled with frustration as he startled and hurriedly raised his fists as well. Frieza smiled smugly at the sight, chuckling to himself.

Raditz's eyes anxiously darted between the hostile expression of his brother and the casually confident ones of Frieza and Dodoria on the sidelines. "So now what? You're favoring them over us?" He asked Goku facetiously, catching a flicker of a wary glance from Goku in Frieza's direction as he spoke.

Then Goku raised a brow at Raditz, answering with a subtle shrug and a frown. "Not exactly."

Raditz frowned deeply at his brother while Frieza perceptively narrowed his eyes at Goku and Raditz's quiet exchange. Raditz carefully, inconspicuously clicked off his scouter with a swift motion. "I brought you here so you could join us, Kakarot. You're either with us, or you're with Frieza. You can't just be on your own."

Raditz was whispering, hoping Frieza could not hear him in his close proximity to his brother. Raditz's fists remaining carefully raised as his brother's aggressive posturing never relented.

"Yes, I can." Goku replied with a determined scowl.

Raditz scoffed. His brother was truly a fool if he didn't realize by now the reality of his situation. And Raditz couldn't explain it all to him with Frieza there. At least it seemed that Kakarot realized Frieza was not his friend, but he seemed to perceive Raditz as a worse enemy, just because he wiped out one lousy race.

As Goku subtly widened his stance, digging his heels in the dirt to ready for a fight, Raditz realized he might never have the opportunity to tell Kakarot his true reason for recruiting his help. Even if they finished their fight without killing one another, they would not both be fortunate enough to walk away from the battle.

Frieza would see to it that someone died. His gleeful smile in the distance confirmed as much to Raditz. Facing off with his brother, Raditz finally realized that it was this exact moment that Frieza was preparing for when he separated the Saiyans. Kakarot was making the wrong choice. He had to know.

In one last, meager attempt at preserving his own life as well as what little was left of the Saiyan race, Raditz quietly pleaded to his brother. "Kakarot, I am your _brother_."

He met his brother's gaze at that sincere urging, relieved to see the other's gaze softening slightly at his plea. Goku's fists inched lower.

Raditz locked his gaze on Goku. "Frieza is a monster."

With a meaningful tilt of his head in Frieza's direction, Raditz rose his brows tellingly. Goku frowned deeply with a glance towards Frieza and nodded his understanding as those fists loosened and fell by his sides. "I know."

"This is exactly what he wants, Kakarot." Raditz said before lowering his own fists, once he recognized Goku's unlikeliness to attack in that instant. "We don't need to fight each other. You need to join your fellow Saiyans. We have a greater common enemy to contend with."

Raditz gave a satisfied smile at his brother's visibly softening resolve. Kakarot looked hesitant and unsure of himself to Raditz, which was all the hesitation Raditz would need to take the younger Saiyan by surprise if this conversation wasn't swaying him. Goku's guard was down. Raditz decided to watch his brother attentively to be sure he was keeping it that way.

"I'll never understand how you could do it." Goku said in a low, solemn tone of voice.

Raditz slightly cocked his head in surprise at the statement. He wasn't sure to what his brother was referring. It couldn't still be about Earth. Raditz assumed Kakarot was referring to purging in general, though Kakarot should have understood that already.

Raditz shrugged to himself when he realized his brother was saying no more. "To be honest, there is a thrill to it. Frieza's sent you on a few missions by now." Raditz said suggestively. "Don't tell me you didn't feel the bloodlust, the power surging through you, just as I do. We are warriors, Kakarot. Like I told you before, it is in our blood to enjoy killing."

Raditz raised his hands in a beckoning motion towards his brother, his eyes lighting excitedly at just the thought of his brother finally joining him and the other two Saiyans in battle, just as he thought would happen when he first went to Earth to find him. To his surprise, his brother didn't answer, simply frowned and stubbornly turned his gaze away.

"Kakarot?"

"…I can't."

Raditz sneered incredulously."You can't what?"

"I can't enjoy killing," Goku said as he turned his head, meeting his brother's gaze with a cold stare, "I can't understand how you enjoy it, and most of all, try as I might, I can't forgive what you've done."

A stunned moment of silence fell in the open, airy field. Frieza and Dodoria stoically watched the interaction with quiet interest while Goku glared calmly at the disbelieving face of his brother.

"I know how you can remedy one of those problems, Goku." Frieza chimed in with a smug smile.

The others all turned towards Frieza in surprise. Raditz bared his teeth in annoyance at the tyrant and hurriedly clicked his scouter back on. Hearing Frieza call his brother by that Earth name cemented the reality of how close the two of them had been over the past months. Raditz knew that whatever Frieza was going to suggest was going to be a problem.

"I've only been hearing repeatedly for months about your discontent with your brother's betrayal." Frieza continued arrogantly once he had everyone's attention. "I'm sure if you kill him, you'll begin to understand the joy of a satisfying kill."

While Dodoria quietly chuckled by his side, Frieza smiled sadistically at his own suggestion. Goku stood in place, his head lowered in thought as Raditz debated his next move. He considered moving in to attack. Kakarot's guard was still down, and when Raditz's scouter registered the surrounding power levels upon switching on again, it still reading 2300 for Kakarot. If Kakarot decided to listen to Frieza, Raditz had to be ready. He assumed a fighting stance again, knowing the chances were good that Kakarot would attack after everything he and Frieza both had just said.

Goku raised his gaze with a deep frown and a look of determination, and Raditz sneered defiantly at him. He was certain his brother had just made his decision, and Raditz would be damned if he allowed his brother to take him out with Frieza and Dodoria witnessing the kill.

With a ferocious battle cry, Raditz launched himself at his brother, attempting to use the element of surprise to land his first hit before his brother would have the chance to counter his attack. All at once, his scouter beeped wildly with a power fluctuation as his wide-eyed, off-guard brother seemed to disappear while Raditz propelled himself through empty air. Raditz's eyes widened in astonishment at the clear miss before he tucked his legs and flipped several times to slow down his hasty progress from the battlefield and land on his feet.

Raditz jumped into a stance as he spun to face the direction from which he'd just come, searching the area for any sign of his brother. Frieza cackled on the sidelines, but Raditz paid no attention to him or Dodoria. The scouter finally alerted Raditz to the presence in the air right on top of him. He looked up to see the bottom of his brother's boots floating over him, hovering there mockingly. Raditz growled angrily at the display.

Goku floated to the ground in front of Raditz, a bemused frown on his face as Raditz's brows lowered into a deeper glare. Raditz was shocked that Kakarot was able to move that fast. He didn't want to believe that Frieza had actually trained Kakarot. Raditz clenched his fists tightly by his sides as he debated his next move.

"I thought we were talking, Raditz." Goku said with a calm, confident gaze and a surprised tone of voice.

Raditz's fists tightened even more at the sight of his brother's relaxed countenance. He should have been on edge, knowing that Raditz was trying to hurt him. "Frieza decided we were done talking." Raditz replied abruptly.

It was true that Raditz decided as much as well, but if he hadn't, he knew Frieza intended to drive them into a fight eventually. It was inevitably going to happen. Raditz just made the first move.

"Come now, Raditz." Frieza replied playfully. "You know as well as I do that I decided no such thing. You're the one who decided to attack your brother, just like you attacked his friends and family."

Goku narrowed his eyes at Raditz upon hearing that painful reminder. Dodoria smiled back at Frieza, finding amusement with the interaction. Frieza smirked at Dodoria knowingly, "If _my_ brother demonstrated that pattern of betrayal, I'd certainly want to kill him."

"Raditz!" Goku yelled, glaring at his brother as he tensed his body and lowered himself into a ready crouch.

Raditz turned to face Goku in alarm. There was no more dissuading Kakarot after Frieza so inconveniently riled him up by mentioning the deaths on Earth again. Raditz readied himself as well, growling irately in frustration. If Kakarot wanted a fight, Raditz wouldn't be the one to hold back. Raditz lunged at Goku again, reaching his brother and smirking with satisfaction as he pulled his fist back and drove it forward for a right hook towards Kakarot's face, but he only sliced through air before Kakarot's image faded away. Raditz balked loudly, taken aback by Goku's escape from his second attack as he frantically searched his surroundings, turning side to side with wide eyes.

"Over here." Goku said in a smug tone from just behind Raditz as Raditz stiffened in shock at the proximity of the voice.

Before Raditz could turn and react, a gripping pain seized him, bringing him to his knees with a cry of agony. "Kakarot, let go of my tail!" Raditz yelled irately with a sneer over his shoulder towards his brother's calmly glaring expression behind him.

"This hurts, doesn't it?" Goku asked knowingly as he squeezed the sensitive appendage harder, causing Raditz to pound his fists on the ground as he laid himself forward in an attempt at escaping the pain. "But it's nothing compared to the pain you've inflicted on so many people."

Raditz clenched his eyes shut tightly, prepared for more pain as he was left vulnerable on the ground, when to his surprise, the pain subsided. He glanced hesitantly over his shoulder to see his brother standing over him, having willingly released his tail.

"Kakarot…" Raditz began pleading with a glowering gaze as he rose to his feet, wrapping his tail securely around his waist.

He couldn't continue with what he wanted to say, though. By the look in his brother's eyes, there was nothing he could say to defend himself. There was no getting through to that idiot who was unknowingly eating right into Frieza's hand.

Raditz growled furiously, startling Goku with his sudden change in demeanor. "Your beloved Earthlings were weak, Kakarot! They didn't deserve to live if they couldn't defend themselves."

"Everyone deserves to live, Raditz."

"Not everyone." Raditz muttered defiantly.

Goku bared his teeth angrily and disappeared from Raditz's sight, startling his brother as he was suddenly right in front of him, standing face to face with an imposing glare.

Raditz leaned away from his brother's intimidating glare, his eyes bulging in terror and shock, before taking a shaky step backwards. "Frieza _did_ train you. You're much faster than before."

His brother's speed wouldn't have been the only thing that improved under Frieza's training, and Raditz didn't want to die. He was determined to be the one escaping this fight with his life.

Raditz regained his courage through that determination as he steadied his footing for another attack. "But I'm still going to beat you!"

Raditz decided to feint a punch before he abruptly jumped. He flipped over his brother's head to land behind him and strike with a forceful jab aimed at his brother's back. Goku glanced at Raditz behind him with a confident smirk as the strike came, but never landed, as Goku once again evaded Raditz's attack in an unseen movement. Raditz looked around again at the disappearance of his brother, becoming extremely frustrated with the way Kakarot was toying with him. Kakarot should have just stayed in place and fought. He didn't know why his brother wasn't fighting back, but Raditz couldn't touch him and it was unsettling. If Kakarot didn't want to trade blows, Raditz would have to draw him out to do so.

"Little brother!" Raditz called mockingly into the open field, still unaware of his brother's whereabouts. "At least your pathetic bald friend and the old man on that little island _attempted_ to hit me! Even your crybaby of a son had the guts to strike me and land a punch! You can't even do that, it seems!"

Raditz readied himself for the attack he knew was due to come now. But he was not at all prepared for the massive surge of pain that traveled through his abdomen as his brother's fist compressed his organs into his ribcage with such overwhelming power that could not have come from a power level of 2300. Blood spewed from his mouth as his eyes bulged at the sight of his glaring brother in front of him, who had not been there a second ago.

"That's for Krillin." Goku sneered as Raditz coughed and stumbled forward while the fist in his gut retreated and his brother seemed to disappear again. "This is for Master Roshi!"

Raditz sneered angrily, but was too busy recovering from that first blow to counter what was coming. A foot smashed into his back, damaging his ribs and forcing him flying through the air until he collided with the first rocky protrusion in his path. Raditz collapsed with his eyes closed in the rubble of the broken rocks before the erratic beeping of his scouter alerted him to stand and fight through his pain.

Just as Raditz scrambled to his feet, Goku was on him again, striking him in the cheek with a powerful punch that forced the spit flying from his mouth and his entire body careening to the side. Raditz landed on the rocky ground with a tumultuous crash. He groaned in pain, unable to move after that most recent hit. Frieza and Dodoria floated closer to the relocated battle scene, following the fighting brothers as they continued observing the fight with impassive frowns.

"And that was for Gohan." Goku added as he calmed and his mood turned somber upon watching his bloodied brother slowly struggle to his feet with a pained grunt.

Frieza let out a low laugh at the sight of Raditz's suffering and Goku's vindictive attacks, though the tyrant was surprised that Goku wasn't going all out. If it was Frieza, he would have continued torturing the weaker man, but his pupil seemed to be letting up.

"Why don't you finish him already?" Dodoria impatiently asked Goku, drawing a surprised glance from the Saiyan.

Frieza frowned in discontent. He rather enjoyed a slow, painful death. He didn't want to see Goku finish his brother off just yet.

To Frieza's pleasant surprise, Goku shook his head at Dodoria in disagreement. "I don't need to finish him. He knows now that he doesn't stand a chance." Goku responded cockily.

Raditz growled furiously at the suggestion. Raditz realized that his brother was overpowering him, but he couldn't possibly be suggesting that Raditz would bow down that easily.

"What?!" Frieza yelled in disappointment to Goku's remark. "Of course you are going to finish him."

Goku ignored Frieza's threatening glare. "This isn't even a challenge." Goku complained with a tone of deep disappointment.

Raditz yelled furiously at that comment. Any Saiyan would be offended by being so easily dismissed in battle. Maybe his brother had grown stronger, to the point that Raditz couldn't match his strength, but Raditz still had a trump card. Raditz laughed, almost maniacally, as a last resort occurred to him. The others all looked at him with deeply perplexed expressions. Goku crossed his arms and raised a brow with concern at his beaten brother.

"You should know better than to think a Saiyan would walk away from a fight defeated, Kakarot." Raditz said as his laughter subsided. "Maybe you have me beaten in _this_ form. But there's something you haven't accounted for. Unlike you, I still have my tail, the source of our true power!"

Goku frowned in confusion as Frieza and Dodoria narrowed their eyes suspiciously and Raditz laughed haughtily again, "The moon isn't out now, but we Saiyans don't need the moon to complete our transformation."

"What transformation?" Goku asked, taken aback by Raditz's suggestion as Frieza and Dodoria gaped in realization of Raditz's plan, as well as surprise at Goku's lack of understanding.

"Moonlight is a natural source of blutz wave power," Raditz said, "but we Saiyans can artificially create the waves, as the three of us _true_ Saiyans often do to purge planets without a moon. By channeling our own energy from within ourselves and combining it with the planet's atmosphere, we can make an artificial moon, complete with blutz waves anytime and anywhere we want!"

Raditz laughed as he raised his shaky hand beside his face, his palm upturned as a glowing orb formed in his hand. Goku watched the glowing ball warily as he felt Raditz's ki lower and he attempted to understand what Raditz intended to accomplish with that.

"So their tails are the key to the transformation." Frieza muttered pensively to Dodoria, whose eyes remained fixed on the pair facing off as he nodded numbly in agreement. "If that's true, Goku can't transform into the giant ape. We won't have to worry about his power multiplying from where he stands." Frieza mused with quiet relief. Then he smirked to himself. "Perfect."

"As soon as I release this into the sky," Raditz said as he raised the glowing orb and narrowed his eyes at his brother, "the transformation will begin and there's nothing you can do about it. Bear witness to the ultimate power of the Saiyans-the giant ape, destroyer of planets!"

Goku yelled in startled awe as Raditz threw the orb forcefully into the sky with a shout of effort. All eyes followed the traveling orb until it sparked in the atmosphere, creating the illusion of a real moon. While Goku's eyes trembled at the shocking sight and concern over Raditz's suggestion of a transformation, Raditz's eyes fixed on the artificial moon as he smiled evilly. Frieza and Dodoria waited, knowing what to expect, though they could not do anything but watch at that point. Raditz's eyes began to widen, his pupils going white as he laughed victoriously and his muscles began to rapidly expand and contract.

Goku fixed his gaze on Raditz, gaping in awe as his brother gradually transformed, his teeth elongating into fangs, his body growing and sprouting fur, his eyes turning red, before he enlarged to massive proportions and Goku had to jump back a distance just to see his brother's face any longer. Of course, Goku was having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that the giant ape face he was now looking up at was Raditz's. Raditz stomped his feet and growled, his tail swaying behind him before he punched his massive fist into a nearby rocky cliff, demolishing the entire formation with that powerful blow.

As Raditz released a monstrous growl, Goku slowly shook his head as his brows knitted with perplexity and his gaze pensively lowered to the ground. The full moon. The tail. The transformation. "The giant ape monster." Goku mused to himself quietly in realization.

It was the giant ape monster from Grandpa Gohan's warnings all those years ago, the one that came out on nights of the full moon. If all Saiyans with tails underwent that transformation during the full moon, then it was _him_ all those times before. Goku was the monster all along, the one that destroyed the tournament arena...and killed his grandpa. Goku was so taken aback by his upsetting revelation that he didn't notice the giant foot Raditz had raised, which was lowering to crash down on top of him.

"Look out, you fool!" Dodoria yelled in warning to Goku, his eyes bulging in alarm as Raditz's foot crashed down on Goku, slamming loudly with an earth-trembling impact. Raditz raised his fur-covered, clenched fists in the air victoriously as he roared and stood alone in the wasteland with only Frieza and Dodoria remaining to watch him on the sidelines. Dodoria grit his teeth with frustration, shaking his head in disbelief at what he'd just witnessed. "Lord Frieza…all that time you spent training that useless idiot-"

"Relax, Dodoria." Frieza interrupted his frazzled henchman with a smile and a cool, confident gaze towards the wildly flailing, bellowing giant ape before them. "I haven't wasted my time."


	10. Finish This

Dodoria crossed his arms with a deep frown as he knit his brows together pensively. Frieza claimed that he hadn't wasted his time training that Saiyan. That either meant that Frieza intended all along for him to die, or Dodoria was missing something, because Dodoria was pretty certain that the unobservant idiot had just been crushed underfoot by that giant monkey.

Frieza let out a low chuckle and crossed his arms, standing beside Dodoria as the overgrown, victoriously roaring Saiyan continued swinging his tail and fists around destructively. Dodoria raised a brow as he glanced at his superior, wondering what Frieza found funny about any of this. He finally decided to click on his scouter to investigate, and gasped when his scouter picked up not one, but two large power readings in the direction of the rampaging ape. Then, curiously, the ape appeared to start growing again.

"Huh?" At Dodoria's astounded utterance, Frieza's subtle laughter grew louder.

His shoulders shook as he first glanced sideways at Dodoria's expression and then lowered his chin and peered closer to the rising ape before them. Then Dodoria did a double take. Raditz wasn't growing; he was rising from the ground. The red eyes of the giant ape widened in shock before Raditz was suddenly launched forcefully into the air, apparently not by any will of his own, judging by the surprised expression on his beastly face.

"You see now, Dodoria?" Frieza questioned knowingly, nodding pointedly down towards the origin of Raditz's skyward launch.

Dodoria gawked in disbelief at the sight of the confidently smiling presumed dead man, standing there unscathed, brushing his hands together as he watched the flying ape. Dodoria couldn't help chuckling. Whether it was from relief at discovering the survival of the Saiyan he found himself strangely rooting for in this fight, or the humorous sight of the flailing gigantic alien hurling through the air towards the ground, he wasn't sure. Either way, Frieza joined Dodoria in another amused chuckle just as a loud crash sounded and the planet's surface rattled at the landing of the enlarged, animalistic warrior.

At the sight of Raditz scrambling to his feet while Goku allowed it and watched Raditz patiently, Frieza's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Now, I just need him to decide to finish this."

Goku narrowed his eyes in concentration as he jumped into the air with his eyes on Raditz. His transformed brother, immediately upon regaining his footing from that fall, took a swing at him with one of his gigantic fists. Goku easily evaded it, and another sloppy punch, and another. Raditz was certainly much stronger, and even faster after the transformation, surprisingly so, given his massive bulk. Goku smirked as he dodged the whip-like strike of Raditz's tail, which was just as likely to be intentional as it was aimless.

Fighting a giant ape like this was certainly something Goku had never done before. This new form of Raditz's was the strongest opponent he'd had yet. It was exciting; almost exciting enough to make Goku forget how angry he was at the double-crossing monster in front of him. Almost.

"You've become much stronger in that form, Raditz!" Goku praised loudly to the angrily flailing giant ape, despite the fact that he wasn't sure if Raditz could even understand him in that form. Then Goku's smirk faded and he glared with determination. "But you have to do better than that!"

Goku drew back his fist, launching up into the air right in front of his brother's face. Goku yelled as he punched his brother in the snout, a strike which appeared futile with their size difference, yet a pointed, bloodied tooth flew loose from the mouth of the giant ape, who stumbled back from the force of that hit and roared in pain. Goku chuckled mischievously at the success of his attack as Raditz's stubby fingers reached up to rub his wounded mouth.

"You!" Raditz roared irately, surprising Goku with the unexpected capability of speech before he threw his hand forward and snatched Goku's floating body from the air. Raditz enclosed his fist completely around his brother and slowly drew his other hand around it, clutching tightly with both hands as a relieved expression crossed his monstrous face.

"What is that idiot doing out there?" Dodoria complained irritably. He crossed his arms with discontent as he watched Raditz tighten his grip around said idiot.

Frieza frowned deeply at the question, losing patience himself. "He's not any smarter than the mindless ape holding him. What do you _think_ he's doing?" Dodoria gasped in realization as he met Frieza's scowling gaze. "I'm _all for_ toying with your enemies, but where's the fun if there's no pain involved?" Frieza complained.

Dodoria shook his head and groaned in disbelief as he realized that the Saiyan truly was playing around out there. Rays of white light suddenly emanated from between Raditz's giant fingers as Dodoria's scouter beeped rapidly, registering a high power fluctuation from the location of the fight.

As his fingers were forced open by his prisoner with a blast of power, Raditz's red eyes widened in disbelief. His palms singed where the painful blast of ki had caused him to release his grip. He shook his fists wildly in the air, roaring with frustration as he stomped his feet.

"That's a shame." Goku said with a blasé frown as he placed his hands on his hips, floating before Raditz's large, glaring eyes. "I thought you would have offered more of a challenge than this. I only wish all the others back on Earth could see you like this now."

Raditz clenched his fists tightly as he glared furiously at the cocky face of his powerful brother. Then he began attacking Goku again, assaulting his brother with everything he had. Dodoria turned away from the impressive fight when he was drawn to a sight in the sky he caught out of his peripheral vision, away from the battle. Dodoria turned his head with a questioning hum as he sighted two fast approaching space pods careening towards land in the distance.

"Lord Frieza." Dodoria alerted Frieza as he kept his eyes fixed on the two descending space pods, then lifted his gaze towards two more approaching fast behind them.

Frieza shifted his line of sight curiously towards what Dodoria was seeing, then smiled knowingly at the sight of the arriving space pods disappearing behind the horizon. "Contact Zarbon and Cui. Let them know that this fight is happening now and they are to keep Vegeta and Nappa out of the way at all costs."

Dodoria nodded hastily at Frieza's firm order and reached a stubby digit to his scouter to contact the others.

* * *

Vegeta and Nappa stood beside one another after emerging from their space pods on Planet Frieza #258. They clicked on their scouters and began curiously scanning the gray-skied planet before them, until a crash sounded behind them. Looking over his shoulder at the sight of two craters housing the more recently landed space pods, Vegeta growled with frustration. They had been predictably followed to the planet, though this was more closely than Vegeta expected.

Nappa looked wide-eyed at the settling space pods. "Vegeta! It's-"

"I know who it is, Nappa!" Vegeta sneered with frustration upon turning his back to the landed pods to inspect the information appearing on his scouter.

The scouter was picking up many power levels within the large structure where Frieza often dwelled, yet it was somewhere more distant on the planet that caught Vegeta's attention. Frieza was definitely there, judging by the presence of the highest power level, along with, curiously, three other very high power levels. Before his scouter provided a detailed reading, Vegeta was alerted to the sounds of the space pods behind them opening and the clatter of landing feet on the ground behind him. Vegeta glared into the distance and bared his teeth. He knew Zarbon would get in his way.

Vegeta shook his head with annoyance, then turned to face Zarbon and his companion with an arrogant smirk. "So you _were_ keeping tabs on me. This must be very important if Lord Frieza is sending some of his favorite suck ups for the job."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Zarbon, and then Cui, who he should have guessed would be the one to accompany Zarbon on this stalking mission. Zarbon and Cui exchanged an arrogant glance before Zarbon addressed Vegeta in a patronizing tone. "Yes, I admit. We did follow you here, Vegeta. But don't let it go to your head." Zarbon added the last statement with a teasing smile, enjoying the way he wiped the arrogant smirk off of Vegeta's face with his retort. "We were simply ordered to keep you out of Lord Frieza's way. Nothing more."

"It's too bad, Vegeta." Cui added, crossing his arms with a smug smile. "I almost thought Lord Frieza was finally going to give us permission to get rid of your arrogant hide."

Vegeta smirked challengingly at Cui as Nappa shook his head and chuckled in disbelief. "Like you could get rid of Vegeta, Cui." Nappa scoffed dismissively with a hateful smirk. "Vegeta and I have been fighting intense battles for a while now, while you've been growing soft under Lord Frieza's protection. With all the fighting _we've_ done, you don't stand a chance against Vegeta now!"

Cui balked incredulously at Nappa's arrogant claim before glaring at the bulky Saiyan. "Impossible! Vegeta's power was never anywhere near mine!" Cui exclaimed before frowning at the relentless smiles of the confident Saiyans before him. "Even if that was true," he admitted as he warily narrowed his eyes at Vegeta before glaring at Nappa again, "I still can certainly take _you_ out, Nappa."

"He's right," Zarbon added with a confident smile, "and neither of you stand a chance against me. So why don't you behave and report to the palace with us cooperatively? Be smart about this." Zarbon added with a grand, inviting gesture in the direction of the palace.

Nappa looked to Vegeta for an answer, while Vegeta frowned in consideration. "I want to know what Frieza's hiding."

"Does it really matter?" Zarbon asked, frowning in annoyance. "Even if you know, you won't be able to do anything about it anyways."

As Vegeta opened his mouth to reply, a loud roar in the distance disrupted their conversation, alarming the foursome as they turned towards the sound curiously. It came from the location of those high power levels.

"That sounded like..." Nappa began with a stunned expression of realization as he looked to Vegeta.

Vegeta gaped in disbelief at his own realization. It was a great ape. A great ape on the planet meant that a Saiyan was fighting. Possibly two Saiyans in the form of great apes, which seemed the most likely explanation for the unusually high power levels, and made sense, given the unknown whereabouts of Kakarot. If those two transformed, there had to be a moon in the sky somewhere. If Vegeta and Nappa could find it...

Cui looked in that direction and finished Nappa's supposition with a teasing smile. "Yes, it seems to be a great ape. It's already begun. You want to know what Frieza's hiding?" Cui asked Vegeta mischievously, smiling at the anticipatory tensing of Vegeta's expression. "Your Saiyan comrades have engaged in a fight to the death with one another." Cui laughed while Vegeta and Nappa gaped in disbelief at the news. "There's nothing you can do to stop it, either!"

Vegeta and Nappa growled furiously at Cui while Zarbon narrowed his eyes at Vegeta's newly assumed aggressive stance.

"Those idiots!" Vegeta shouted furiously, locking his gaze towards the fight in the distance.

"Vegeta!" Zarbon yelled in warning before Cui stopped laughing and assumed a fighting stance with Zarbon.

"There's nothing I can do to stop it? Watch me!" Vegeta yelled defiantly before attempting to flee towards the scene of the other fight.

He was cut off in the air by Zarbon, who simply blocked Vegeta's path, using his body as a wall as Vegeta was forced to come to an abrupt halt. Vegeta clenched his fists tightly with frustration. Just a little farther and maybe he could have sighted the distant moon, but now Zarbon was blocking his way.

"Really, Vegeta. You're a fool to defy the orders of Lord Frieza. Go inside now, and I won't have to hurt you." Zarbon said coolly as he flicked a strand of loose hair from his eyes and calmly waited for Vegeta's response.

Cui and Nappa waited on the ground, watching for Vegeta's reaction as well. Vegeta frowned upon hearing another beastly roar in the distance. He had to get over there. Vegeta made a sudden move, thrusting his fist towards Zarbon's abdomen. Zarbon readily caught Vegeta's fist in his palm, glaring angrily at Vegeta's stunned expression before shaking his head reprovingly at the Saiyan prince. "Now that wasn't very nice."

"Vegeta!" Nappa cried.

Zarbon pulled back his fist and returned the same favor Vegeta had intended for him, causing Vegeta to lurch forward and gasp in pain. Zarbon grabbed Vegeta roughly by the arm before lowering to the ground with Vegeta in tow.

"Zarbon." Vegeta growled through clenched teeth, recovering from the painful blow as he landed on his feet and defiantly shook free from Zarbon's grasp.

Wherever the moon was, it was too far off. They couldn't see it from this location on the planet, and they weren't getting over there without a fight. Transforming wasn't an option.

"Vegeta! What do you want me to do?" Nappa asked. He knew the importance of stopping that fight just as well as Vegeta did. Nappa glanced anxiously between their two pursuers as he prepared to help Vegeta in some way.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Zarbon perceptively. "You're right, Zarbon. It would be foolish to let the great Lord Frieza know that I defied him. If I don't want Frieza to know, I'll have to make sure you and Cui never get the chance to tell him about this."

Vegeta chuckled deviously as he stood straight and tall, regaining his composure as he faced his newly assumed enemies.

Zarbon and Cui balked at Vegeta's threat, then laughed dismissively. "Oh, that's a good one, Vegeta." Zarbon laughed as Cui carelessly clicked on his scouter.

Vegeta ignored Zarbon's remark, powering up before Nappa followed his lead and did the same. Cui's smile fell into a frown as his scouter produced a reading higher than he expected to see from Vegeta.

"W-what?" Cui balked incredulously, shaking his head as he took a shaky step back.

Zarbon raised a brow curiously at Cui's change in demeanor before clicking on his own scouter, then blinking in awe at Vegeta.

"Told you Vegeta's gotten stronger." Nappa scoffed, smirking at Cui's trembling figure as Cui took another shaky step back upon realizing that Vegeta's power level exceeded his own.

"Idiot!" Vegeta scoffed at Cui's disbelieving visage. "Do you really think that you can keep up with my experience in battle? Like Nappa said, I'm constantly fighting on the front lines." Vegeta chuckled at Cui's obvious display of fear.

"I'm impressed, Vegeta." Zarbon said confidently. "Nevertheless, you must know that your defiance will still be fruitless."

Zarbon's lofty expression turned into a stern glare as he caught a glimpse of Cui slowly attempting to fearfully flee the scene. Vegeta followed Zarbon's line of sight and smirked mockingly. Cui was so full of himself, as long as he was facing a weaker opponent. Now that he wasn't, he was nothing but a coward.

"Stop trembling, Cui. Your cowardice makes me sick." Vegeta found amusement in rattling the gutless warrior.

Nappa weakly chuckled in agreement, though with a sideways glance at his comrade, Vegeta noted that the other Saiyan was sweating nervously as he studied their opponents. He should have been sweating. Nappa would lose in this fight, for sure. Unfortunately, Vegeta needed Nappa for his rebellion just as much as he needed the third class Saiyans.

"Cui! You stay here and deal with Nappa!" Zarbon demanded, causing the wary soldier to pause in his step. "I'll handle Vegeta."

Gloatingly, Zarbon smiled at the battle-ready Saiyans. Cui balled his fists by his sides, regaining his confidence as he shifted his focus from Vegeta to Nappa. Vegeta frowned at the two before them. He couldn't just accept Zarbon's invitation to walk away, not when his hopes of overthrowing Frieza were being destroyed off in the distance because those two idiotic brothers couldn't put their petty differences aside and see the bigger picture.

The possible chance four Saiyans had against Frieza and his underlings had been the best chance against Frieza Vegeta had yet. Vegeta wasn't going to let that go easily. But now, facing Zarbon, who he knew overpowered him, and Cui, whose power far exceeded Nappa's, Vegeta was beginning to regret his decision to engage in this fight. He'd have to even the playing field a little if he and Nappa had any chance of winning against those two. Vegeta glanced carefully at Zarbon, searching for an opportune moment, and smiled to himself as he caught Zarbon off guard. He decided to take advantage. Then Vegeta set his sight on Cui as he narrowed his eyes determinedly.

"Alright, Cui! Let's go!" Nappa yelled daringly to his ready opponent before Vegeta yelled loudly, interrupting his weaker comrade as he stepped forward and thrust his palm forward towards Cui, a fully-powered blast of ki emanating from his body and stretching all the way to his unsuspecting victim.

"Vegeta, no!" Cui screamed as his eyes widened in fear and he futilely backed away from the surprise attack.

Vegeta laughed maniacally as his ki pressed through Cui's armor, exploding through the other side of the soldier as it left a gaping hole through his body.

Nappa and Zarbon gaped at the sight, the light practically blinding them as the force of the blow caused Nappa to lose his footing. Nappa was blown back from the explosion, his boots sliding across the rocky terrain as he shielded his face with his arm and tried to regain purchase in the soil.

"Vegeta!" Zarbon scolded in disbelief, glaring at the Saiyan for that sneaky move.

"Thanks, Vegeta." Nappa muttered with a deep scowl as the blowback subsided and he slowly lowered his arm from shielding his face, to rest by his side.

He was prepared to face Cui, though he knew he had no chance. Vegeta had just saved his life, if Cui had any intentions of going for the kill.

"He's dead!" Zarbon confirmed upon recognizing the scouter readings and the fact that Cui appeared lifeless as he laid on the ground with a gaping, bleeding hole in the middle of his body.

Vegeta chuckled at the lifeless body on the ground. "That's too bad, Cui." Vegeta said, mimicking Cui's earlier words. "I didn't need to _wait_ for Frieza's permission to get rid of your pathetic hide."

Vegeta threw his head back and laughed cruelly as Zarbon glared angrily at the two Saiyans before him. "That was a dirty move, Vegeta, even for a Saiyan. This is your last chance. Head to the palace now and face whatever consequences are coming to you for Cui's death, or you'll have to deal with me."

Zarbon lowered his chin with a deadly glare at the two Saiyans, who frowned at one another as Vegeta debated his decision. Even if he and Nappa were able to overpower Zarbon and make it to that battlefield, which wasn't going well so far, Vegeta was far from ready to overthrow Frieza. It was too soon. He and Nappa hadn't even spoken to Kakarot about their plans for rebellion yet, and the other battle Vegeta was trying to intercept proved that Raditz wasn't getting through to him. But bowing down would mean allowing one of those two Saiyans to die.

Vegeta grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He couldn't find a way to win in this situation, and Vegeta _always_ found a way to win. Vegeta realized that fighting against Frieza's wishes now would be suicidal. If he and Nappa weren't killed by Zarbon, they most certainly would be killed or punished by Frieza when they arrived at the other battle, even if they were able to transform. Frieza was just too powerful. And their efforts certainly would not save the other two Saiyans.

Kakarot and Raditz were on their own. Vegeta felt he had no choice but to devise a new strategy at this point, one that no longer relied on four Saiyans to take down Frieza. At least something good came of the hasty trip to Planet Frieza #258. It was a beautiful thing for Vegeta, finally killing that relentless pain in his side, Cui.

* * *

"Lord Frieza!" Dodoria exclaimed in alarm upon checking his scouter for the happenings at the landing site of the others. "We've just lost Cui!"

"What?!" Frieza exclaimed as he finally pried his eyes from the repetitive exchange of blows occurring before him between man and giant ape.

"We've lost connection with his scouter, and Vegeta's power level reading is over 20,000!" Dodoria uttered, shaking his head and rechecking his scouter to confirm the fact. Frieza frowned deeply and crossed his arms.

"Is Zarbon still dealing with those two?" Frieza asked expectantly. Dodoria clicked his scouter to check and nodded in agreement. "No matter, then."

"No matter? Vegeta killed Cui like it was nothing!" Dodoria balked in alarm. "Cui was supposed to be stronger than Vegeta! Vegeta's power is growing!"

Frieza's eyes again fixed on the battle before him. "It's nothing. I expected as much from Vegeta." Frieza said dismissively as Dodoria gaped in shock at Frieza's claim. "A power level of 20,000 might seem impressive to _some_ , but to me, it's still insignificant. Besides, Vegeta will behave now."

Frieza smiled widely as Goku struck Raditz's giant torso at a pressure point, causing the giant ape to cry out in agony. "With my trained monkey by Vegeta's side, the threat of Vegeta's increasing power will be obsolete."

Frieza cackled in satisfaction as he watched Raditz thrash his arms through the air with frustration at his losing battle.

* * *

Goku was confident in his fight with Raditz. He wasn't even using his full power, and he was able to dance around the attacks of the great ape with ease. He could go on like that all day, while Raditz's ki was draining from his efforts. But Goku knew it had to end soon, he just didn't know how it would end.

He knew how Frieza wanted it to end, and initially upon reaching Space Station 62-6, Goku had felt the same way. When he imagined the attacks that happened on Earth after he left the planet, Goku still felt that way. Raditz took everything from him. His home, his family, his entire previous way of life was nonexistent now and Goku had no hopes of any of that ever being returned to him. Yet, Goku had grown to hate the idea of killing someone weaker than him, ever since getting involved with purges. Still, he had to end the fight soon, and Goku realized Frieza would not make it easy to choose mercy.

Raditz glared at his opponent as the smaller Saiyan was locked into his own indecisiveness. Raditz looked disbelievingly at his hands. His large, powerful hands that had destroyed so many populations with ease weren't even able to touch his enemy now. Even in his ape form, Raditz was able to realize when he was outmatched. Goku moved in for another attack, which Raditz swatted away hastily. Then Raditz narrowed his eyes as Goku quickly flew right in front of his eyes. He had to destroy the smug little gnat flying around in his face. He had to destroy it at any cost. It was kill or be killed. That much reasoning, he had.

"Die!" Raditz roared with desperation before he opened his mouth wide at point blank range, baring his fangs to his unsuspecting brother. Goku's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of his brother's open cavern of a mouth. Still distracted by his own thoughts, Goku was unprepared for the enormous, red, blazing blast of ki that suddenly emanated from his brother's expanded jowls.

With a sudden movement, Goku crossed his arms tightly over himself to defend against the blast, clenching his teeth with the unprepared effort as he was pushed back in the air at the contact of the blast. The heat radiated against his skin, and Goku could feel the concentration of Raditz's ki, which was more powerful than his aimless strikes. Goku had to counter quickly to defend himself from the attack. Raditz clearly intended to kill him by any means, and that action was all the push Goku needed to make his decision.

Within a second, Goku concentrated his energy into his balled fists and drew his wrists together in front of his chest, gathering his ki before forcing it forward with a yell of exertion. It was an instinctive reaction in that limited time to let his power loose to defend himself from Raditz's powerful blast. Frieza and Dodoria squinted at the blinding light of the brilliant red ki of Raditz and white aura that Goku exerted against it as the two powers collided, accompanied by the furious scream and growl of the fighting brothers.

As the blinding light of the blasts subsided, Frieza and Dodoria returned their gaze to the battlefield, still squinting until their vision cleared. Goku remained poised from his attack, hands forward and braced together as he visibly panted and wore a determined glare on his face. Raditz's oversized body stood still before Goku, looking grotesque with the absence of its incinerated head. After a moment of delay, the headless body went slack, colliding with the ground.

Goku frowned solemnly as he finally watched his murderous brother fall. As Raditz's tail went slack over his body, the final part of him to fall, Goku felt as if a weight was removed from his shoulders. A small smile of satisfaction eased across Goku's face. He hoped everyone from Earth could rest easier now, knowing their remorseless killer saw justice. It was over with Raditz. Goku had found vengeance for all the people on Earth, as well as his own personal vengeance for his brother's life-altering broken promise. Goku felt relief, knowing Raditz would never hurt any more defenseless innocents again.

"He did it." Dodoria breathed quietly in awe.

Frieza nodded. "Goku," he raised his voice to the Saiyan in the distance with a wide smile of satisfaction and approval, "how was Raiss? Were you able to acquire the planet for me?"

Goku continued staring at Raditz's lifeless body with a pensive look, never removing his gaze from Raditz as he absently answered, "yeah."

* * *

A/N: Raditz fans, I am so sorry, I really am. I was really becoming attached to Raditz in this story, but his death was inevitable at this point in the story. If Goku didn't kill him, there was no way Frieza was going to let them both live. Crazy magical possibilities still exist in this universe, but as of now, he's really gone.

Also, as a side note, Vegeta's power is slightly higher than his Saiyan saga power level, because Vegeta really had that conversation with Cui on Namek in DBZ, referring to becoming stronger on the front lines of purges while Cui was being lazy, and I realized with the extra Planet Feesh purge that happened in this story, Vegeta's (and Nappa's) power should have increased slightly, even if it wasn't a difficult purge.

And I haven't forgotten that Raditz already told Vegeta that Goku lost his tail, but that was months ago, and Vegeta still hasn't seen Goku for himself, and in Vegeta's proud elite mind, it would probably be easier for him to forget about the mention of the lost tail and explain Goku's power with the transformation than try to wrap his mind around how a weak, third class Saiyan had that high of a power reading without transforming.


	11. Calm Before The Storm

"Vegeta!" Politely called an anonymous voice from the other side of Vegeta's chamber door, "Lord Frieza wishes to see you, Sir."

Vegeta rolled his neck lazily as he reluctantly turned to face the door. He had to prepare himself. It was a meeting he was expecting, to which he wasn't looking forward, both because there would likely be consequences for his actions against Cui, and because he was unprepared to deal with the outcome of Raditz and Kakarot's fight.

He had no new plan devised yet, which meant he had to put on the act again and continue bowing down to Frieza, in spite of how much he detested it. With a heavy sigh, Vegeta put his feet in motion, propelling himself to the door of his room. He opened it wide before staring impassively at the nervously smiling, repulsive alien servant outside his door.

"Right this-"

"I know the way." Vegeta snapped rudely, brushing dismissively past the affronted and speechless alien.

Vegeta was truly having trouble composing his nerves as he headed alone to face Frieza. He worried what story Zarbon might have told Frieza about their encounter at the landing site. He was even more concerned about what type of punishment Frieza could have in mind. The tyrant had a tendency to be creative.

Vegeta glared with determination as he shrugged off those worrisome thoughts. He was nearing Frieza's chamber, and he would be damned if he would ever let Frieza see him quiver with fear. Vegeta turned a corner, prepared to reach Frieza's chamber at the end of that hall, when he was surprised to find Frieza lurking outside his chamber, seemingly waiting for him.

"Vegeta," Frieza greeted with an icy smile, "walk with me."

"Lord Frieza." Vegeta greeted with a rigid bow before dutifully following, even though he hardly could call what he was doing 'walking with' Frieza, as the tyrant was lazily getting around in that blasted hoverchair of his.

"You've been a naughty monkey." Frieza said teasingly.

Vegeta walked beside the tyrant, yet lingered behind just enough that he didn't see the expression on Frieza's face. Vegeta frowned without uttering a reply.

His lack of response caused Frieza to questioningly glance over his shoulder. "I'm afraid that's what I've always liked about you, how ruthless you can be, Vegeta."

Frieza gave a genuine smile of amusement before turning forward and resuming his forward pace. Vegeta smirked to himself in realization. Perhaps there would be no punishment to worry about.

"When Zarbon told me the way you underhandedly blasted a hole through Cui, I had to laugh." Frieza did just that at that point, as if to illustrate his point.

Vegeta joined Frieza in the laughter. "Cui was a fool." Vegeta grumbled smugly.

Frieza abruptly stopped laughing. "You're lucky I don't care about his loss, Vegeta." Frieza warned ominously without bothering to turn and see his soldier wince at the reprimand. "Killing one of my soldiers without my permission was a foolish thing to do." Then Frieza stopped and glared warningly as he met Vegeta's hesitantly scowling gaze. "Doing _anything_ without my permission is foolish."

Vegeta stared back at Frieza, having so much he wanted to say, but reluctantly kept his mouth shut as he simply nodded in understanding.

"Now," Frieza smiled amicably upon registering Vegeta's understanding, "I have someone I want you to meet, Vegeta. I believe this introduction is long overdue."

Vegeta scowled suspiciously at Frieza's jovial suggestion as he followed Frieza further down the hall, past Frieza's chamber, to the door of another.

"Oh." Frieza added as he abruptly stopped just outside the door to smile slyly at Vegeta. "Before you meet him, though, I almost forgot. Raditz was killed." Frieza scrutinized Vegeta's reaction carefully as Vegeta remained impassive, knowing Frieza was doing just that. "Aren't you upset about that?" Frieza raised a brow to further scrutinize Vegeta.

"No." Vegeta scoffed as he crossed his arms.

He wasn't too surprised. With that power level, it was amazing that Raditz survived as long as he did. To further solidify his claim in the face of Frieza's disbelieving look, Vegeta added, "Raditz was a weakling. We don't need him."

His tone had become somber and his frown deepened towards the end of his statement, because he _did_ need Raditz, and now that man had failed him and died before he fulfilled his purpose.

Frieza smiled again. "Good. I'm glad you feel that way, because the person I want you to meet also happens to be the man that killed him." Frieza chuckled curtly before waving his hand invitingly towards the closed door before them.

Vegeta sighed as he obliged Frieza's silent request and knocked his fist loudly against the metallic door.

"Come in!"

Vegeta glanced at Frieza's smiling face before reluctantly opening the door to that cheery invitation of an unfamiliar voice. It was one of those moments where he really wished he could wipe the smug smile off Frieza's face.

"Lord Frieza!" The other within the room exclaimed in surprise as Vegeta and Frieza entered the room together.

As the other man gave a curt bow to Frieza, Vegeta tilted his head slightly to the side, observing him carefully. He knew that this was Kakarot. He already knew before entering the room, once Frieza introduced him as Raditz's killer. Even if he hadn't, Vegeta would have known immediately upon seeing him. Vegeta would recognize a Saiyan anywhere. The suspiciously frowning tall man standing before him in the dark blue long-sleeved and panted uniform sans armor, with black wayward spikes of hair, was the picture of a typical Saiyan.

Vegeta met his curious gaze with a deep scowl. "Kakarot."

"Oh!" Frieza said in mock surprise. "So you already know." Then Frieza turned to Goku, who was still studying Vegeta curiously from a distance across the room. "Goku, I'd like you to meet Vegeta, _Prince of all Saiyans_."

When Vegeta turned his face away from Frieza's view and glared angrily at the way Frieza said his title with a sardonic tone, Frieza smiled widely.

"Vegeta?" Goku queried in a tone of alarm before locking his eyes on Vegeta, the look in Goku's eyes bordering between searching and distrust. "You can call me Goku."

Goku's name was asserted firmly, as he remained unaffected by Frieza's tone or Vegeta's title. Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the other Saiyan disbelievingly. He couldn't imagine what kind of Saiyan would forsake his Saiyan name. It was disgraceful.

Vegeta glared firmly at Kakarot as he shook his head slowly in stubborn disagreement. "I will _call_ you Kakarot."

Vegeta crossed his arms as he kept his gaze locked on the other's surprised mien. Then Goku's lip turned up in a slight smile as he shrugged dismissively.

"Hm." Frieza snorted curtly. "I've come to prefer the name Goku." Frieza smirked at Vegeta. "Maybe over time you'll come to like the name as well, Vegeta."

Vegeta frowned deeply at Frieza's suggestion while Frieza laughed dismissively at Vegeta's wordless reaction. "That's right. How could I forget your stubbornness to hold onto everything that is Saiyan?" Frieza added with a sly smile.

Goku crossed his arms and widened his eyes as he tilted his head to the side."Isn't there another Saiyan I'm supposed to meet?"

"You'll meet Nappa soon enough. I wanted you to meet Vegeta first." Frieza said.

Goku shifted his gaze back to Vegeta. "Why?"

"Because," Vegeta sneered at Goku as he took offense to his fellow Saiyan not acknowledging Vegeta's importance as he should have, "I am your superior and you will be taking orders from me from now on."

As Goku made a questioning sound in his throat and gaped at him in disbelief, Vegeta raised his chin proudly. Then Goku shifted his confused, questioning gaze to Frieza, who grunted in amusement at the interaction. "Actually, Vegeta, that is exactly why I wanted to see the two of you alone." Frieza grinned at Vegeta before smiling at Goku. "I am promoting Goku for his single-handed purge of Raiss and impressive demonstration of strength in that fight with Raditz yesterday."

Vegeta's rage at the mention of that third class newbie getting a promotion prevented him from noting the way Goku looked away uncomfortably at the mention of the Raiss purge. Blinded by fury, Vegeta clenched his fists and growled angrily, seething internally at Frieza's audacity in bringing Vegeta in there to witness the promotion of his inferior. He didn't like the direction this was going. Not at all! But then Frieza smirked cruelly at Vegeta, those red eyes burning into him with detestable smugness, and Vegeta somehow contained the inner fury he was feeling. He would deal with that third class sometime when Frieza wasn't around. For now, he refused to continue giving Frieza the satisfaction of seeing him react.

Vegeta pursed his lips with displeasure, then raised his chin with a lofty expression, eyeing the other Saiyan. "Big deal." Vegeta scoffed. "Anyone could've killed Raditz. Have you forgotten that Nappa and I just completed a purge of Feesh?"

Vegeta raised a brow challengingly at Frieza's unimpressed expression. Then Vegeta snarled, curling his upper lip angrily before adding, "and what was so impressive about Kakarot's strength? You know when _I_ transform into the great ape, my power is much greater than the readings I was seeing during that fight."

To Vegeta's surprise, Frieza's lips stretched slowly into a wide, knowing grin, as Goku even smiled cockily at Vegeta's implication.

"You don't understand, Vegeta." Frieza said. "Notice something different about Goku compared to most Saiyans?"

Frieza chuckled as Vegeta scrutinized Goku carefully. Vegeta narrowed his eyes observantly at the other Saiyan, before his eyes widened in alarm as he noticed the lack of a tail; something Raditz told him months ago which he'd forgotten about until he was seeing it for himself. If Kakarot had no tail, he couldn't have transformed, meaning that power level over 20,000...

"Raditz knew his only chance at matching my strength was transforming." Goku explained with a self-assured grin. "It wasn't enough, though."

"So you killed Raditz without needing to transform. And you've been here, what?" Vegeta asked as he raised his brows at Goku, then Frieza. "Six months?" Vegeta responded tersely and defensively before narrowing his eyes at Frieza. "That hardly gives you enough time to gauge his loyalty, Lord Frieza. You can't possibly be serious about promoting a man who just killed his own brother, as worthless as that brother may have been."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes accusingly at Goku. Knowing that a third class who had such a low power level only months ago could have possibly surpassed his own power was irritating him beyond belief. To Vegeta's surprise, his comment about Kakarot killing Raditz actually caused the other Saiyan to frown apologetically back at him.

"I know you can't mean what you're saying, Vegeta." Goku said.

Vegeta gaped in disbelief at this newcomer's audacity in suggesting he even understood Vegeta in the slightest.

"I know you were friends with my brother. I'm sorry for killing your friend." As Vegeta's eye twitched in irritation with the assertion of Raditz being his _friend_ , Goku's apologetic gaze hardened into a distant glare of conviction. "What happened between me and Raditz was between me and Raditz. It's over now, and I'm willing to give you and Nappa the benefit of the doubt, even though I know you can be just as bad as Raditz was."

As Goku's eyes darted back to Vegeta, Vegeta balked at the ridiculous, enraging suggestions of the other Saiyan. Then he glared at the idiot. He had to be an idiot to be saying such things, which wasn't surprising, seeing who his brother was.

Vegeta crossed his arms tightly. "Tch," Vegeta scoffed at Goku, "Save your apologies for someone who cares."

Vegeta looked to Frieza, who had been hovering on the sidelines of their conversation, listening closely and silently absorbing everything the Saiyans said. "You see, Vegeta," Frieza gloated, "Goku is willing to let bygones be bygones. If anything, that alone proves he is more trustworthy than any other Saiyan I've ever met." Frieza narrowed his eyes meaningfully at Vegeta, before smiling triumphantly at the deep, understanding frown that graced the other's face. "Goku will join you and Nappa on purges, as Raditz used to do. But from now on, _he's_ in charge."

As Goku frowned stubbornly at the order, Vegeta bared his teeth and glared furiously at Frieza's words.

"I expect him to be able to keep the two of you in line." Frieza said meaningfully to Vegeta before looking at Goku with an affirming, directive nod.

Goku continued frowning as he lowered his head and nodded in reluctant agreement. Then Frieza smirked tauntingly at Vegeta. Vegeta could see what Frieza was up to. He thought by pushing Vegeta aside and threatening him with some new, over trained blood in the organization, Vegeta would back off from any plans he had about rebelling against Frieza's rule. Frieza underestimated the will of a Saiyan.

Vegeta raised his chin arrogantly and narrowed his eyes challengingly at Goku. He knew he could increase his power quickly, and he would do it soon to close the seemingly small gap between their power levels. Frieza laughed as he watched Vegeta's mannerisms, which he understood all too well.

Frieza lowered his head from his higher position in the floating hoverchair to meet Vegeta's gaze at the same level. "You should know, Goku didn't even use his full power while fighting that giant monkey. His full power measure is over 70,000."

Frieza laughed as Vegeta narrowed his eyes disbelievingly at Goku's proud grin. They had to be bluffing. No Saiyan had ever reached such a high power level before. None except...the legendary Super Saiyan. Vegeta shook off that errant thought as he stubbornly clicked on his scouter, ignoring Frieza's mocking chuckle at the gesture and Goku's skeptical brow raise.

"Lord Frieza," Goku said as the scouter beeped, slowly registering the readings within the room.

Frieza waved Goku off to silence him, waiting to see Vegeta's reactions to the readings.

Goku turned to Vegeta anyways with a knowing frown as Vegeta smiled smugly at the disproving readings on his scouter. "Vegeta, that won't tell you anything. I'm suppressing my power right now." Goku explained nonchalantly.

Vegeta glared with frustration, realizing it was true. The reading was far below 20,000, and Vegeta knew it had been over that level before. "How is that possible?" Vegeta spat irritably. He had never heard of anyone suppressing their power level.

Goku rubbed the back of his head with a pensive frown. "I don't really know how to explain it. I've been doing it for years. You just...push your energy down."

Goku shrugged as he lowered his hand to his side and watched Vegeta for a reaction. Vegeta scoffed through his teeth as he clicked off the scouter, before removing the useless device from his ear. He was still skeptical of Kakarot's claimed power level. Yet, if Kakarot could suppress his energy, so could Vegeta. And if Kakarot really reached a power level of 70,000, Vegeta would reach a level twice as much.

Then, he could finally face Frieza. If he were able to get Kakarot to cooperate, Vegeta could use someone with that level of power in the fight against Frieza. He'd first have to make sure Kakarot knew where his true allegiance should lie, which he obviously still needed to be taught.

Nappa was useless at his current strength. Yet, he was ridiculously loyal to Vegeta. Nappa would have to improve drastically if he planned to stick around much longer. When all would be said and done, Vegeta could finally overthrow Frieza and rule the universe for himself, once he surpassed both Kakarot and Frieza. He finally had a new plan.

Vegeta raised his chin proudly as a determined glare crossed his face. "The Prince of all Saiyans will not be second to third class trash." Vegeta said bitingly, glaring and pointing rudely at Goku's disbelieving expression at the insulting title as Frieza smiled in amusement. "I will surpass you, Kakarot."

While Frieza chuckled quietly, Goku raised his brows in surprise. "Really?"

Vegeta ignored Frieza's mockery and narrowed his eyes at his new competition, angrily grumbling his reply. "Really."

* * *

Vegeta loudly barged into Nappa's chamber immediately after leaving his meeting with Goku and Frieza. "Nappa! That third class trash is a traitor!"

Nappa startled awake with a snort, rubbing his tired eyes and wincing at the sound of Vegeta's irate yelling. "What? Are you talking about Raditz?"

"No. Raditz is dead. I'm talking about Kakarot!"

Nappa sat up in bed with a start, gasping in alarm. "Raditz is dead?!"

Vegeta's voice quieted and he crossed his arms,"Kakarot killed him."

Vegeta stood at the foot of Nappa's bed while he delivered the disappointing news.

Nappa growled furiously, clenching his fists as he threw his feet over the side of the bed. "That scum! I thought Kakarot was supposed to be on our side! Raditz put himself at risk, going out of his way to rescue that little piss ant from being stranded on a backwater planet, and this is how his brother repays him? "

As Nappa lowered his head into his hands, rubbing his bald scalp irritably, Vegeta grit his teeth with annoyance. "Forget about Raditz! Frieza claims that Kakarot has a power level over 70,000!" Vegeta growled furiously as he rigidly dropped his fists by his sides and paced to the other side of the room.

Nappa lunged to his feet. "What?! That's impossible!"

The larger Saiyan tried to meet Vegeta's gaze, though the prince stubbornly stood with his back to Nappa at the other end of the room. Vegeta scoffed loudly with derision. He found it hard to believe as well, though he couldn't deny that Kakarot's power had increased substantially. Seeing that Kakarot seemed to have Frieza's full support, Vegeta suspected that Frieza was behind Kakarot's incredible rise in power. If Vegeta could find out how that happened, maybe he could use the same method to increase his own strength.

"Did you hear me, Vegeta?" Nappa asked, drawing Vegeta from his deep thoughts.

Vegeta raised his gaze to meet Nappa's concerned, questioning eyes. "What, Nappa?! Vegeta snapped.

Nappa raised his palms defensively, taking a careful step back as he smiled appeasingly at Vegeta. "I just asked what Kakarot did."

"What?" Vegeta asked irritably with a sigh as he brought his hand up to rub his forehead and closed his eyes. He was beginning to wonder why he went to Nappa. He didn't have the patience now for talking to that big, stupid oaf.

"You called him a traitor. Is it because he killed Raditz? Or did he do something else?" Nappa asked with a shrug.

"I don't give a damn about Raditz!" Vegeta shot a glance at Nappa opening his big mouth to question him further, and abruptly spoke again before Nappa had the chance to do so. "Frieza has put Kakarot in charge of our missions from now on, Nappa!"

Nappa gaped speechlessly at Vegeta, and as he recovered his wits from the shocking news, frowned sympathetically at Vegeta. "Damn. Kakarot really must be strong if Frieza's doing that. Never thought I'd see the day you were surpassed by another Saiyan, Vegeta." Nappa admitted glumly, looking dumbfounded as he rubbed his hand over the top of his bald head in one smooth motion.

Vegeta growled furiously at Nappa's lame attempt at sympathy. "Shut up, Nappa!" Nappa winced as Vegeta stepped forward domineeringly. "This is all a ploy of Frieza's. He must've had this planned since Kakarot joined his empire. He's doing this to control us! Frieza realizes I plan to overthrow him someday, and now he's made that goal nearly impossible as long as Kakarot is loyal to him."

Nappa stopped grimacing at Vegeta's anger while the prince calmed himself. Then Nappa stepped forward with an irate tone of his own. "I've had enough of Frieza. After everything that guy's done to our planet and our people, Vegeta, I don't think I can stand looking at his smug face any longer!" Nappa complained bitterly, looking deeply frustrated about his situation.

"I will not stand by while Kakarot takes control, Nappa. I will surpass him and make him join us against Frieza, then I will overthrow Frieza. You and I need to train." Vegeta smiled proudly.

Nappa's eyes widened in surprise. "Train? But Vegeta-"

"What, Nappa? Would you prefer dying?" Vegeta taunted with a cruel smirk as he eyed his comrade. Then Vegeta narrowed his eyes at his fellow Saiyan. "Because if you don't train, you most certainly will die." Vegeta accompanied Nappa's worrisome frown with a taunting chuckle. "Either way, you won't have to look at Frieza's face for much longer."

Nappa frowned deeply and nodded solemnly in understanding at Vegeta's words. "Alright. When do we start training Vegeta?"

"Right now."

* * *

"Mmm." Goku moaned in satisfaction as he threw his head back and rubbed his stomach with a big smile. "Dodoria, you're a great cook!"

The robust, pink alien working in the kitchen turned to Goku, scrunching his face at the praise. As his fellow soldier inhaled the food he'd just worked carefully in preparing, Dodoria wondered how the Saiyan even tasted his cooking. "Pff. Of course I am. Fighting isn't my only talent, you know." Dodoria bragged.

He placed another freshly made, steaming platter of alien food on the table in front of Goku, before resting his hands firmly on his hips with a proud raise of his chin. "You're just lucky Lord Frieza didn't want any of this." Dodoria sneered at the sight of Goku gulping down another huge bite. "I most certainly wouldn't have made it for _you_."

Goku smiled widely as his eyes lit on the new platter of delicious looking food and he reached for it eagerly with an appreciative sniff. "Frieza didn't want any of this? Why not?! This is the best food I've had since..." a frown crossed Goku's face as he set the plate on the table in front of him, "...since..." Dodoria raised his brows expectantly as he recognized the saddened look crossing Goku's face, "...since." Goku finished resolutely with a bitter frown as he dismissively buried his face in the food and resumed eating.

Dodoria frowned pensively at Goku. Then he crossed his arms smugly. "Earth?" Dodoria guessed knowingly.

His utterance of that painful word caused Goku to cringe in reaction, even as he continued eating. Dodoria frowned guiltily. He didn't know why he should feel guilty. He didn't care what that Saiyan lost. Most everyone he knew had lost their home planets, whether to destruction or being overrun by Frieza's empire, and _they_ never made a big deal about it.

"Heh." Dodoria finally relented. "You can't be suggesting you could cook better than that on Earth. No Saiyan can cook like me."

Goku glanced up from his plate with a nostalgic smile. "No. Not me." Goku wiped his face clean of the last traces of crumbs and sauce from Dodoria's latest dish. "There were a few people on Earth whose cooking I miss, but my wife's was the best."

"Wife?" Dodoria asked in alarm before narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Goku.

He was certain there weren't any more Saiyans alive besides Vegeta and Nappa, but apparently Saiyans were willing to interbreed with aliens. Dodoria scoffed in disgust to himself. This was yet another thing he could add to his long list of why Saiyans were an inferior race. His race would never stoop to mating with aliens. As Goku opened his mouth to respond to Dodoria, someone barged into the quiet kitchen.

The purple alien bowed respectfully to Dodoria, then looked to Goku sitting at the table with a nervous grimace. "Dodoria, Sir! Goku, Sir!" With his head held high, he stood at attention, "I am here to inform you that Lord Frieza has decided to depart the planet within two days, and he requests your presence on his ship when he leaves."

"Both of us, Appule?" Dodoria asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head curiously at the hurriedly nodding alien.

"Not just the two of you. Lord Frieza ordered for Goku to bring his men along." Appule announced with surprise clearly written across his face.

Dodoria and Goku both widened their eyes in surprise, exchanging a curious glance. Dodoria wasn't surprised that Frieza would want to leave that planet, or that he would be taking Dodoria along, but he was quite surprised that he wanted the Saiyans to come, too.

Dodoria narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Goku. He hoped Frieza had no intentions of keeping that Saiyan by his side in Dodoria's place. The Saiyan _had_ surpassed both his and Zarbon's power levels. But then again, Frieza never kept the Ginyu force members by his side. Maybe there was nothing to worry about.

"What is this about, Appule?" Goku piped up curiously.

His question caused Dodoria to blink in surprise as he was disrupted from his own thoughts, then to turn expectantly to Appule for the answer to that very good question.

"I'm…not sure." Appule admitted with a wary frown. "I've informed Zarbon of the departure time as well."

Appule looked to Dodoria's expectant, impatient face with an apologetic frown. The open door through which Appule had entered earlier was then graced by the hasty approach of another presence. Goku smirked as he recognized the hulking figure of the abrasive Saiyan he had the displeasure of interacting with on several occasions, living under the same roof over the past month.

"Departure? What departure?" Nappa asked as he skidded to a stop just inside the kitchen.

As Nappa looked on expectantly, Appule and Dodoria narrowed their eyes at Goku tellingly.

Goku stared back in surprised before he startled in realization and met Nappa's gaze. "Nappa, tell Vegeta we are leaving with Lord Frieza in two days." Goku said firmly, knowing it was now his job to give the command, though he really had no interest in any of the duties he'd been given as of yet since his so-called promotion.

Nappa raised a brow incredulously and crossed his arms as he looked at the others in the room searchingly. "We're leaving…with Lord Frieza?"

Goku looked indifferently towards Dodoria and Appule, who seemed assured and certain of the situation, before he shrugged at Nappa. "Yeah."

"What is this about?" Nappa asked suspiciously.

Appule stepped forward, glaring challengingly at the Saiyan before he smirked. "Lord Frieza only said he has something he wants to show you Saiyans."

Appule's smirk widened as Nappa frowned with concern. Goku frowned as well, though his frown was less concerned, more curious. He simply couldn't imagine what Frieza intended to show them.


	12. Motivation

The room in a sector of Frieza's large spaceship was quiet, despite the fact that three men inhabited it. One sat with a calculating, deep frown, with his arms crossed tightly as he waited patiently. Another sat cross-legged on the ground, hands resting on his knees, with his eyes closed in meditation. The third man was the only one growing weary of the silence, visibly becoming agitated as he fidgeted in his seat beside Vegeta and his eyes anxiously darted between watching each of the other Saiyans.

Finally, after yet another wary glance towards the closed door, he decided to break the silence. "Hey, Kakarot!"

One of Goku's eyes twitched at the disturbance, yet both eyes remained stubbornly closed. Vegeta broke from his concentration, vexed by the interruption in his train of thought, waiting for Nappa to continue.

Nappa glared at his new comrade, offended by being obviously ignored as he decided to continue anyways. "Do you know what this is all about?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes as he leaned forward in his chair, eager for an answer.

Goku's lips turned down into a barely notable frown, which was his only response to Nappa's question. Nappa ground his teeth and let out a shallow growl of frustration as he turned his gaze to Vegeta, hoping to see that his long-time companion showed signs of the same apprehensive feelings he was having. Instead, he was met with an impassive stare. Nappa's shoulders drooped in defeat. He should have known better than to expect Vegeta to show any anxiety, and it seemed Kakarot was just as calm, despite the fact that they all knew Frieza had something unpleasant planned for them. Nappa simply wanted a heads up, some idea of what to expect before it came down on them.

"Whatever it is," Goku finally answered in a calm tone as he spoke without breaking his meditative pose, "we should be prepared."

Vegeta snorted in amusement, finally making Goku open his eyes curiously and look at the other two across the room from him. Vegeta nodded to Goku, before smirking. "That's the smartest thing I've heard you say yet, Kakarot." Vegeta shifted his gaze to Nappa with a firm frown. "It wasn't bad enough that Frieza had to promote this trash over us," Vegeta narrowed his eyes hatefully at Goku, "but now he obviously has more planned."

Goku frowned as a serious, distant look crossed his face, and Nappa did the same as well, though the larger Saiyan really couldn't imagine how the other two were so calm. He still felt like Kakarot knew more than what he claimed to know. Vegeta seemed to always figure things out on his own, but Kakarot hadn't proven to be any brighter than Raditz. If Kakarot was so cool under the pressure of Frieza's foreseeable ill intentions, Nappa believed he had to be hiding something that he knew.

Nappa crossed his arms and swaggered haughtily towards Goku in a domineering manner. "Are you sure you don't know what this is about?"

Nappa narrowed his eyes accusingly, reaching Goku's spot on the floor and standing over the other Saiyan, who still sat on the ground. Goku's eyes widened innocently at the repeated question as he calmly rose to his feet and Nappa continued, "Because you're the one that's been spending all this time with Frieza lately. I bet you know something you're not telling us."

"I really don't." Goku replied with a guilty chuckle, rubbing the back of his head before looking away from Nappa with a frown and mumbling to himself, "at least, I hope not."

"What?!" Vegeta spat angrily as he overheard Goku's quiet remark. He stepped forward with a deep, accusing glare. "What is it that you're hiding, Kakarot?!" Vegeta demanded as he brushed past Nappa and shook his fist threateningly in Goku's face.

Goku opened his mouth wide, unable to concoct an explanation as the door to their chamber slid open with a detectable whoosh.

"Lord Frieza is ready to see you now." Appule announced as he stepped into the room.

Goku frowned with determination as he brushed past Vegeta and immediately headed for the door. Vegeta and Nappa exchanged an irritated look before reluctantly filing out of the room as well.

* * *

Frieza stood with his back to the chamber door as it whooshed open behind him. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed at the stars in space through the dome-shaped glass surrounding that chamber of his large spaceship. A couple of planets were coming into view, and Frieza hummed in pensive recognition of the approaching planets as the beat of footsteps lightly padded behind him.

"I run my empire well, don't I?" Frieza asked knowingly to the men standing behind him, without bothering to turn and face them.

"Yes, Lord Frieza." Was echoed back to him from a chorus of voices, including those of the ones to whom he wasn't speaking.

Frieza rolled his eyes and sighed. "I send men like you to acquire the planets, a different group of men to rebuild the planet for my use and profit, and we move on to more planets. Do you know why this works so well?"

Frieza turned to narrow his eyes at the three Saiyans standing behind him, ignoring Appule, Dodoria and Zarbon. He hoped those idiots knew that question was not intended for them. The Saiyans frowned silently back at him, and Frieza smirked to himself at their lack of answer. "…aside from my undisputable superior strength?"

Frieza couldn't help gloating before he continued. There was no answer from the visibly tense Saiyans. Frieza shrugged to himself. That was a rhetorical question, anyway.

"It works so well because I know what makes my men tick and I use it to keep you all in line. I know what you fear, what motivates you." Frieza smiled with satisfaction as he caught sight of Goku staring past him, towards the approaching planets in the view of the window. "Do you recognize that planet, Goku?"

Goku startled at the address, removing his eyes from his astounded gaze towards the distant planet. "Yes."

"Of course you do. You see, Goku, I've changed my mind about that planet." Frieza said as he slowly turned to face the window again, narrowing his eyes cunningly towards space.

"What...do you mean?" Goku asked warily.

Frieza let out a low chuckle.

"Why do we have to be here for this?" Vegeta asked abrasively. Frieza clenched his teeth and growled in annoyance at the rude address, prompting Vegeta to respectfully add, "Lord Frieza."

"For a demonstration, Vegeta." Frieza said before turning to Goku with a harsh glare.

Goku's brows knit together in confusion as he tried to understand the reason for Frieza's anger. Then Frieza raised his hand towards Goku, blasting him with ki so quickly that most members of the room did not even see the attack. Goku went flying across the chamber, his back denting the wall before he fell to the ground with his eyes clenched tightly in pain from the direct hit.

Frieza chuckled and lowered his hand as all the others in the room gasped loudly in shock at Frieza's sudden, unexpected attack. "Ah. It's good to let loose a little of my power for a change." Frieza clasped his hands behind his back again and glanced over his shoulder at all the others with a teasing smile. "That blast would have killed one of _you_."

Goku groaned and slowly stumbled to his feet while Vegeta glared at Frieza's snide remark and the others looked on speechlessly. Dodoria's eyes widened in alarm as he took a step toward Goku, before he warily eyed Frieza and decided to stop and stay out of the way. Zarbon raised a brow at Dodoria's behavior, but remained firm where he stood as he calmly watched for what would happen next.

"You see, Vegeta. This one," Frieza began, nodding pointedly towards Goku as the Saiyan stumbled towards them, cradling his arm over his ribs with a stern glare, "does not respond well to physical punishment. I can do that all day, and I've learned that he'll keep getting up until he's nearly dead. He never learns anything. It's a waste of my time."

"Then why did you bother?" Vegeta sneered as he crossed his arms and glanced sideways at Goku, who had reached the other Saiyans to stand by their side.

Frieza's lips turned up slowly into a wide smile as he met Vegeta's gaze. "Demonstration purposes." Then he glanced at Goku, still wincing in pain, "and for kicks."

"I knew it. This is all because of Kakarot." Nappa groaned, narrowing his eyes at Goku before he turned his gaze on Frieza. "What did Kakarot do, Lord Frieza?"

Nappa's brows knit tightly together when Frieza didn't immediately answer. Nappa turned agitatedly towards each person in the room, searching for any signs of an answer to the point of all of this.

Frieza frowned deeply at Nappa, before glaring at Goku again. "It's not what he did, Nappa. It's what he _didn't_ do."

Goku's eyes widened in alarm as Frieza scowled angrily and shifted his eyes to the window of the ship, towards the planet they were approaching. "Lord Frieza-"

Frieza raised a flat palm towards him, silently ordering Goku to stop with a fiery glare. "You will learn, Goku. _Everyone_ follows my orders." Frieza demanded in a harsh, low voice as his eyes continued burning hatefully into Goku.

Frieza slowly levitated off the ground, nodding towards Appule with a silent order as he approached the top of the ship. Appule reached for a lever on the control panel along the wall and pulled it, causing the hatch in the top of the ship to slowly slide open from the center. Frieza continued levitating as Goku watched worriedly, unsure of what was happening now. The others watched curiously as well, though they had no idea what Frieza was talking about, or what he had planned.

"You should all sit back and enjoy the show." Frieza said with a devious laugh before levitating out of the ship, into space.

The others looked around at one another after Frieza's exit, crossing their arms and shifting uncomfortably.

"What show?" Nappa finally asked.

Zarbon smirked at Nappa. "Out there, of course."

"Oh. So that's what he's up to." Dodoria added in realization as he gazed at the nearby, small red planet to which Zarbon had nodded, just outside of the ship.

The Saiyans all looked out there as well, Goku frowning deeply at the planet while the other two pursed their lips pensively.

"Isn't that Raiss?" Vegeta asked after a moment of careful scrutiny.

Before anyone had a chance to reply, Goku gasped in alarm at the enormous power he felt accumulating outside of the ship.

Nappa raised a brow at Goku shaking his head and narrowing his gaze pensively. "Kakarot?"

"What is he doing?" Goku mused aloud fearfully.

Zarbon haughtily placed his hands on his hips and took a step towards Goku. "Punishing you." He answered with a smirk. "I thought we'd already established that."

"Woah." Dodoria uttered in awe as he stared outside the window.

A bright, brilliant light was eclipsing their view of space and the planets before them as it grew and expanded into a huge mass of ki outside of the ship. The others all followed Dodoria's gaze, their mouths dropping in shock at the sight and the palpable surge of power. Then the ball of light zoomed towards planet Raiss as Frieza's loud laughter from outside was heard by the others within the ship.

"No! Frieza, don't!" Goku cried in alarm, flying towards the window and placing his palms against it as he watched that destructive ball of ki collide with the planet of his latest mission.

A massive explosion occurred in space, creating an array of brilliant lights and explosions outside the ship as Frieza laughed maniacally from outside and Zarbon chuckled cruelly. Nappa and Vegeta remained reserved, unaffected by the blinding explosion of the planet, but wary as they knew this couldn't be the end of Frieza's demonstration. Goku lowered to the ground, his hands sliding down the glass of the massive, dome-like window before he reached the ground and fell to his knees, lowering his head in devastation. Frieza slowly lowered back into the ship, and Appule acted quickly in closing the hatch as soon as the tyrant was fully inside.

"What did you think?" Frieza asked the group excitedly.

Goku seethed angrily as Frieza ignored him and looked for reactions from the others.

"Beautiful, Lord Frieza." Zarbon commended with a smile. "As always."

"Yes." Dodoria agreed with a sly smile. "As always." He added mischievously.

Frieza shifted his gaze to Goku, meeting the furious glare of the devastated Saiyan. "What's wrong, Goku? Don't like fireworks?" Frieza teased. "You weren't attached to that ball of dirt, were you?"

"Frieza…" Goku growled angrily, his eyes twitching as he clenched his fists tightly in his lap.

"Because, according to what you told me, that was all that should have remained on the planet. Dirt. Nothing else." Frieza sneered, his lip turning up into a subtle snarl as he already knew very well that that was not the case. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out that you let the entire population of Raiss live?"

"They were good people, Frieza." Goku argued defiantly as he stood to his feet, never removing his furious glare from Frieza.

Frieza smirked cruelly at Goku's clearly agonized condition. "You see, Vegeta? _That_ is how I get through to Goku." Frieza explained as he shifted his gaze to the other two Saiyans. "I don't hurt _him_. I just kill others he cares for, so he will never make that same mistake again."

"Remind me never to get chummy with Kakarot." Nappa muttered to Vegeta under his breath.

Vegeta scoffed loudly before turning to Goku with a disgusted glare. "Pathetic, Kakarot. How can you be so soft? The people on Raiss mean nothing. A real Saiyan would have enjoyed killing them."

"I also know how to get to _you_ , Vegeta." Frieza interrupted. As Vegeta sneered defensively at the turn in conversation, Frieza turned to Dodoria and Zarbon with a smile. "Which would you say was better? Did Planet Raiss make nice fireworks?" Frieza asked before shifting his gaze towards Vegeta and Nappa with a cruel smirk, "or would you say Planet Vegeta's were better?"

While Vegeta glared at the tyrant's bold admission, clenching his fists firmly by his side, Nappa balked incredulously at Frieza's implication. "Planet Vegeta?" Nappa exclaimed as a pained expression crossed his face, which quickly morphed into one of furious anger.

"So the rumors were true." Vegeta stated coldly, though inside he was also roiling in anger at the reminder of the destruction by Frieza's hand of the planet he was born to rule.

"Oh, Vegeta. Always so cold." Frieza chided in disappointment. "Well, at least Goku can make it up to me now. I am sending the three of you on another mission. I know with _your_ help, Vegeta, there will be no survivors this time." Frieza commended.

Vegeta smirked arrogantly at the thought of killing off another population of aliens. Then Frieza chuckled haughtily at Vegeta's arrogant look. "Because that is all you are now, Vegeta. The help. You must follow Goku's orders on the mission, no questions asked." Frieza smiled cruelly as Vegeta's smirking expression changed to a furious glare. "My, my. I seem to have made you _all_ angry. Now you should all be motivated to deliver for me." Frieza paused pointedly as he observed the speechless, seething Saiyans. "Unless you'd like me to motivate you some more." Frieza smiled as he raised his brows at the scowling Saiyans.

"No." Goku said curtly, gaining control of his emotions as he boldly stood in front of Frieza.

He would not let Frieza hurt people because of him any longer. Goku was determined to find a way to prevent that from ever happening again. He only wished he knew how. Saving the people of the universe from Frieza was beginning to seem like a hopeless task.

Vegeta glared with annoyance at Goku as he considered what the other Saiyan was likely to be thinking. Then Vegeta tersely answered Frieza as well. "We're motivated enough."

"Good. I hope you all enjoyed the show. Dodoria and Zarbon will give you details of your next mission, and then you can take some of the pods from the ship." Frieza said before sternly eyeing Goku. "I expect success this time, Goku. I don't want to lose _another_ profitable planet."

Goku frowned with reluctance as he nodded obediently to Frieza. He couldn't stand to see another planet meet its end the way Raiss had. Goku hoped, before reaching the planet of their next mission, he would be able to think of a way to preserve the lives the Saiyans would be sent to destroy. But even if he did think of something, with Nappa and Vegeta along for the ride, the probability of succeeding in saving the alien planet was extremely low. Then again, Frieza did order Vegeta and Nappa to follow Goku's orders, no questions asked. Maybe there was hope for the targeted planet.

* * *

Vegeta, Nappa and Goku took off in three individual pods, launching directly from Frieza's larger ship in space as they headed to Planet Frai. It was known to be a difficult planet to acquire, one Frieza's lower-ranked men had attempted to take before and failed.

The challenge was enticing to the Saiyans. Even Goku couldn't help feeling some excitement at the possibility of a challenging battle, in spite of his goals to preserve the lives on that planet. It would be the first time the Saiyans would work together, though working together would prove difficult when the three people involved were aiming for different results. The Saiyans were certainly motivated by Frieza's demonstration of power and control, though perhaps not in the way Frieza had hoped.


	13. Purged

Yet again, the planet he was sent to eradicate was home to a race so closely resembling humans. Goku couldn't help thinking of Earth as he, Vegeta and Nappa emerged from their pods to take in their surroundings on Planet Frai. They seemed to be standing in a populated city, where curious people gathered around their landing site, staring at the newly arrived aliens.

Then one man's eyes widened fearfully as his gaze fixed on the tail loosening from Nappa's waist and lazily falling behind the large man. "Saiyans!"

The native man's scream incited an instant tumult of chaos as the surrounding people gasped and screamed in clearly-informed awareness of their current predicament regarding the arrival of the three warriors. As the people ran, Goku sighed heavily and looked uneasily at Nappa and Vegeta, who both stared impassively at the panic surrounding them. Then Nappa crossed his arms and pursed his lips pensively before turning to Goku with an expectant gaze. Goku frowned back at Nappa.

"So?" Nappa asked with an eager smirk. "Should we get this party started?"

Goku felt his heart wrench with disgust at the thought of such a calloused approach to their task. He wondered how he possibly could be like those other two. It was obvious that in some ways, the other two were just like Goku, understanding his need for fighting in a way no one else ever had. Goku didn't know what made him feel worse: realizing his similarities to the heartless Saiyans, or facing the reality of what he was about to do.

"What are you waiting for, Kakarot?" Vegeta complained tauntingly as he smirked at the reluctant expression on Goku's face. "You planning on leaving the job in _Frieza's_ hands again?"

"No." Goku answered stubbornly with a hard glare.

Vegeta scowled back at Goku, while Nappa remained ignorant of their interaction and greedily rubbed his hands together with an eager smile. "Then it sounds like it's time to get to work."

"Wait." Goku said quietly, yet with such intensity that Nappa immediately froze to look warily at Goku.

Goku met Nappa's startled gaze, then Vegeta's irritated one with a pensive frown on his face. He didn't know what to say. Vegeta was right. If Goku somehow managed to save these people now, Frieza would certainly kill them later. He couldn't hide them, he couldn't protect them, and Vegeta and Nappa were obviously itching to kill.

Vegeta growled with frustration at Goku's prolonged silence. "Enough of this." Vegeta spat as he raised a flat palm towards the scurrying crowd, now a ways in the distance from them. As Goku's eyes widened in alarm, Vegeta formed a glowing sphere of ki in his hand. "I don't need to wait for _your_ order. Frieza already gave the order."

"No!" Goku yelled.

Appearing instantaneously in front of Vegeta, Goku absorbed the blast Vegeta had just released toward the terrified crowd. Vegeta glared indignantly at the blinding flash of the dissipating explosion before the dust cloud surrounding Goku completely dissolved.

"What is wrong with you, Kakarot?" Nappa complained as he witnessed what had just occurred.

Goku lowered his forearms from bracing across his chest, unscathed as he bared his teeth at Vegeta. "I said wait."

"For what?" Vegeta retorted mockingly as he crossed his arms. "For you to come to terms with reality?"

"I-" Goku replied defensively, before trailing off and casting his gaze aside. He lowered his head in defeat and grit his teeth with frustration as he was at a complete loss for words.

"Look," Nappa said gruffly, stepping forward, "If you're too much of a wuss to handle the job, why don't you let me and Vegeta take care of it?" Nappa suggested before catching sight of a panicked family flying off in their hover car, and turning to smile at the vehicle in amusement.

"No." Vegeta said tersely. "I do _not_ work for Kakarot." He shifted his gaze to Goku with a penetrating glare. "If we will kill these people, Kakarot has to help."

Vegeta smirked maliciously at Goku's frowning face, until Goku smirked back at Vegeta as Goku's attitude quickly turned cocky. "Actually, Vegeta, you _do_ work for me. Remember?" Goku teased playfully, causing Vegeta to clench his fists and growl in defiance. "And I say, we're going to let them live for now. C'mon. Let's see if we can find anything to eat on this planet first."

Goku waved in the direction he was headed before walking off dismissively, clearly expecting the other Saiyans to follow. Nappa's eyes anxiously darted between the other two Saiyans as Vegeta remained firmly in place and the gap between him and Goku grew. A low grumble from Vegeta's vicinity caused Nappa to quirk a brow as Vegeta continued stubbornly scowling.

"Fine." Vegeta huffed with a dismissive shrug before he raised his chin arrogantly and followed Goku's path at his own pace. "Come on, Nappa."

Nappa immediately followed Vegeta, walking by his side as Goku remained a good distance ahead of them. As Goku made his way through the city, trailed by the other two Saiyans, the few remaining people who had not yet deserted the city fearfully steered clear of his path. After a while of fruitlessly searching the city for food, Goku turned to face his comrades with a defeated shrug.

"We obviously have to check another location for food." Vegeta stated dully in response to Goku's clueless expression. Vegeta rolled his eyes as he realized no one in that vicinity would possibly still be serving food after the panic over the Saiyans' arrival that had spread through the city.

"Oh! Right." Goku said with a smile before shooting into the air without wasting a second.

Vegeta sighed heavily before reluctantly following, as Nappa followed as well. Landing in another city, in a distant part of Frai still unaware of their arrival, the Saiyans resumed their search for food. Though given their intimidating presence and battle-ready attire, even the uninformed people of Frai were still giving them a wide berth of clearance everywhere they went.

"This looks good!" Goku happily announced to the other Saiyans as his eyes landed on a sign written in some alien language with an image of a soup-like steaming bowl of food.

The smells wafting from the establishment were all Vegeta and Nappa needed to sense in order to agree and readily follow Goku inside. The restaurant patrons hurriedly cleared out of the restaurant as they noticed the Saiyans' entrance.

The workers behind the counter attempted to do so as well, until Nappa appeared in front of them with a warning glare. "You're not going anywhere until you serve us some food."

The restaurant workers gulped nervously as they obediently nodded and returned to their posts.

"S-s-so…what can I get you, Sirs?" A trembling server asked anxiously as he carefully eyed the warriors across the counter.

Goku smiled before requesting a little of everything, before the Saiyans claimed a table for themselves and waited to be served. The food arrived quickly, with anxious servants working nervously to please the Saiyans and serve them as fast as possible.

"I've got to hand it to you, Kakarot." Nappa said with a wide smile as he shoved a large piece of bread in his mouth. "This wasn't a bad idea. Vegeta never let us indulge like this at the _beginning_ of a purge before." Nappa lightly chuckled, relaxing in his seat.

Vegeta huffed loudly with irritation at Nappa's subtle dig, yet continued silently through his meal, which Nappa knew meant that Vegeta agreed. Vegeta just didn't want to admit it.

"How could food _ever_ be a bad idea?" Goku questioned elatedly, crumbs flying from his mouth as Vegeta growled with irritation.

"Because," Vegeta snarled, "this is your way of stalling. And warriors should be rewarded _after_ completing a job, not before the job is done."

"Aw, come on, Vegeta. Lighten up." Goku complained.

A nervously twitching server came around with a tray full of food. Goku grabbed a bowl with wide-eyed glee and completely forgot the conversation as he shoved his face in the bowl to eat some more.

"Yeah," Nappa chimed in between monstrous bites of food, "what's the big deal, Vegeta? I thought you didn't want to follow Frieza's orders anymore." Nappa continued ignorantly eating, lowering his face into his bowl to slurp his alien stew as Vegeta glared furiously at the top of Nappa's bald head.

"You don't want to follow Frieza's orders?" Goku questioned with wide-eyed surprised before wiping his mouth free of the bread crumbs covering his face. Then Goku blinked in thought as Vegeta grumbled loudly to himself with irritation at both of his companions. "Oh yeah! I remember Raditz said something about him being your enemy just before we fought."

"You mean just before you _killed_ him." Nappa interjected irritably.

Goku frowned briefly at Nappa before returning his attention to Vegeta. "Why is Frieza your enemy?"

Goku's question was directed at Vegeta, though it was Nappa who answered his question. "He destroyed Planet Vegeta, and our entire race, you idiot! That's why!" Nappa yelled, slamming a fist on the table for emphasis.

Vegeta glared warningly at Nappa, meeting the larger Saiyan's eyes and striking fear in his comrade. The big moron had no finesse when it came down to conversations like this. If Kakarot was going to join their cause, Vegeta would have to be the one doing the talking. It seemed, by Nappa's wide-eyed, fearful expression, Nappa finally understood that he was to keep his mouth shut.

"I thought you two didn't care about anyone but yourselves." Goku accused.

"Frieza destroyed the planet I was destined to rule, Kakarot." Vegeta said with a deep scowl. "I have no intentions of serving him any longer." Vegeta met Goku's eyes with an intense gaze, while Goku's brows lowered in understanding. "It is time for us to fight back and take our place in the universe. Our proud warrior race should be ruling above all others, not him!"

Goku slowly fell back in his chair, eyeing Vegeta with disapproval. "So you don't want to fight Frieza to destroy his empire." Goku stated solemnly, his disappointed gaze locked on Vegeta. "You want to destroy him so you can take it for yourself."

Vegeta huffed with amusement before smiling at Goku. "Of course I do."

"Frieza needs to be stopped. And he has to pay for what he's done." Goku agreed firmly, before glaring at Vegeta. "But I won't let you take over. No more planets should suffer like our planets have."

"Our _planets_?" Nappa asked disbelievingly. "You're from Vegeta, Kakarot. That planet you lived on doesn't matter. It was nothing more than a mission, just like _this_ lousy planet." Nappa scoffed before meeting Vegeta's scolding gaze, and realizing his mistake in speaking out.

Goku glared angrily at Nappa, before Vegeta abruptly spoke up again. "Frieza needs to be stopped. We agree on that at least, don't we?"

"Yeah. But stopping him won't be easy." Goku agreed before broodingly resuming his meal.

"Then let's start there. We'll argue about what to do after he's defeated when that time comes. _If_ we actually manage to survive rebelling against Frieza." Vegeta suggested with a stern glare.

Goku warily nodded in agreement.

"Of course, defeating Frieza means playing along with his rules for now, until we have the strength to stand against him." Vegeta admitted reluctantly. "That's why we're training and purging. We will become stronger with every purge, Kakarot. Then eventually, we can overpower Frieza."

Goku frowned deeply at the suggestion. Even if it was true that killing and destroying could make a Saiyan stronger, Goku wanted nothing to do with it. He shook off the thought as he fixed his attention on his meal again, the distraction of the food instantly lightening his mood. More servers approached Vegeta and Nappa with more food, which Nappa took with both hands as he resumed eating as well, unconcerned about Vegeta and Goku's tense exchange.

"I've had enough." Vegeta decided as he rudely pushed the bowl back in the face of the server offering it to him.

The server grimaced at the deathly glare in Vegeta's eyes, which seemed to be locked on him until Goku called out, "I'll take it!"

The server sighed heavily in relief as Goku took the bowl from him and the distraction provided the native enough time to slip away from the clearly murderous prince. Goku ate, remaining oblivious to Vegeta as Vegeta rose from his seat and headed for the door.

With a curious expression, Nappa watched the prince leave, though he hesitated as he was still busily enjoying his meal. He simply hummed in curiosity as Vegeta reached for the door of the establishment. That simple sound of the door alerted Goku enough to look up from his food.

Goku glared at the sight of Vegeta leaving, as his intentions for doing so were obvious. "Vegeta!"

"The food was fulfilling. Still," Vegeta said to Goku, pausing in the doorway with an evil smirk, "the killing will be much more so."

"Stop!" Goku yelled as he leapt from his seat to follow Vegeta through the doors of the establishment.

Goku stepped through the door after Vegeta, who flew into the air without a second of hesitation at his commander's order. Poised to fly after Vegeta, Goku suddenly froze in his tracks. The sight of a passerby on the scarcely populated sidewalk had Goku feeling like he just saw a ghost. Nappa stepped out of the restaurant, confused to see Vegeta flying off in the distance while Goku remained just outside the doorway with an awe-stricken look.

"Piccolo?" Goku breathed with his brows knit tightly in confusion.

Nappa followed his gaze to the alien at the far end of the sidewalk outside the establishment, who was just turning the corner. Nappa recognized the green skin, which contrasted with the Saiyan-like skin tone of the race native to Frai. Yet, he wasn't too surprised to see one of them there. Frai was a pretty transient planet. The poor sucker chose a bad time for his vacation, or trade, or whatever business he had on the now-doomed planet. But it was strange that Kakarot seemed to know the alien.

"Hm." Nappa huffed curtly as he crossed his arms and eyed his commander suspiciously. "What's up, Kakarot?"

Rather than answering, Goku ignored his comrade's words as he took off in a sudden sprint after the foreign being. "Piccolo!" Goku called exuberantly after the alien.

Nappa shrugged to himself as his commander disappeared from his sight around a corner while the screams and explosions of Vegeta setting to work rang through his ears from another direction. As much as Nappa was tempted to join Vegeta, he hesitated as his curiosity was piqued by what could be so important about that other man that his commander was finally willing to disregard stopping Vegeta's assault in favor of pursuing this "Piccolo".

With one last wistful glance in the direction of Vegeta's destruction, and an irritated growl to himself, Nappa turned to follow the path Goku had traveled. Once around the corner, he was met by a dismayed Goku as the green alien turned his back to Goku and stalked away with a dismissive air.

As the stranger took a fleeting glance over his shoulder at Goku, looking puzzled by the interaction Nappa had missed, Nappa raised his brows questioningly at Goku. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Goku answered curtly as he eyed the disappearing alien with disappointment, before turning his head towards Vegeta's area with an intense glare.

Nappa grasped Goku tightly by the shoulder, causing the smaller man to startle and look up at him in surprise. "You knew that Namek? I thought you didn't know any aliens that weren't part of Frieza's empire." Nappa posited suspiciously.

Goku shook Nappa's hand off his shoulder roughly before a pensive, distant glare crossed his face. "I don't know what a Namek is, but that man looked just like Piccolo." Goku sighed as he met Nappa's gaze with a sad smile. "Piccolo was my enemy on Earth. But that wasn't him." Goku admitted with resignation as Nappa raised a brow, surprised to hear of a Namek residing on Earth. "For a moment, I was so happy to see him again. I never thought I could be so happy to see someone."

Nappa's hard gaze softened a bit upon hearing Goku's words. There had been many a time he would have given anything to see some old faces again, of those that were taken with his home planet. Even the biggest assholes on the planet would be good to see again. Nappa could understand what Kakarot was feeling. But they were all long dead. Nappa knew there was no chance of ever seeing another Saiyan again, aside from Kakarot and Vegeta.

"Yeah, well." Nappa sniffed dismissively. "Reality is a bitch, isn't it?" He looked away from Goku without waiting for a reaction, as more loud explosions and a symphony of screams rang out from the distance.

 _"Almost finished with this city. Are you slackers going to join in, or do I have to do everything myself?"_ Vegeta's voice rang loud and clear over both Saiyans' scouters.

Goku glared angrily at Vegeta's smug words. "Reality is a bitch, huh?" Goku musingly repeated Nappa's earlier words without meeting Nappa's gaze.

He sighed with resignation as Nappa called to Vegeta over the scouter and shot into the air, not wanting to waste a second to get some killing in before Vegeta had all the fun. Nappa couldn't help noticing Goku's knuckles whitening from the clenching of his fists, or the hard set jawline of the commander just before he took off. The powerful Saiyan reluctantly stood his ground, making no move to join in the killing, but making no more moves to stop it, either.

* * *

"Lord Frieza," Dodoria said as he clicked off his scouter and approached the small, formidable man calmly gazing out his window to view the landscape of the latest planet of their residence, "the Saiyans have left Planet Frai. They say they completed their mission."

Frieza frowned pensively as Dodoria and Zarbon, standing side by side, expectantly waited for a response from Frieza. "Dodoria, send some men to search the planet for survivors. If there is even _one_ ," Frieza paused with his index finger in the air to meet Dodoria's gaze insistently, "I want those Saiyans brought to me immediately."

Dodoria raised his brows in surprise at the order before catching an equally surprised look from Zarbon. "You don't think they'd leave survivors, do you?" Zarbon asked dubiously, yet reverently to Frieza.

"Vegeta and Nappa never leave survivors." Dodoria insisted.

"And I don't think even Goku would dare to think of it again after your latest lesson, Lord." Zarbon said.

"Even so." Frieza huffed with a frown. "I want to be sure. All of them have exhibited tendencies for disobedience lately. Goku might try pulling that again. He _is_ stubborn...and stupid enough to do it."

Dodoria tilted his head to the side with a considerate frown. "If he ordered it, I guess I could see Vegeta and Nappa following his order just to be spiteful." He said with a shrug.

Zarbon nodded in agreement. "I'll send the men to Frai right away, Lord Frieza." Zarbon reached a finger to his scouter, and then turned away to mutter orders to his underlings.

"I thought once Goku came into play, I wouldn't have to worry about the rebelliousness of the Saiyans any longer." Frieza complained aloud to himself with a deep frown.

Dodoria looked at Frieza, biting his lip thoughtfully. "You shouldn't, Lord Frieza. I'm sure Goku has learned his place by now. The others know they have no choice but to follow him or die."

Frieza pursed his lips tightly with discontent and crossed his arms as he turned his gaze from Dodoria to look out the window again, just as Zarbon was returning to Dodoria's side from concluding the issuing of his orders. "True. And yet, I don't trust them to do as expected. Those stupid monkeys never know what's good for them." Frieza's frown deepened into a scowl.

"The troops are reporting to Planet Frai as we speak, Lord Frieza." Zarbon said with a bow of his head.

"Perhaps if they find no survivors, I should ease off the Saiyans. I have more important matters to worry about than them." Frieza said, sounding unconvinced by his own words.

"We can keep a close eye on them for you, Lord Frieza." Dodoria offered with a sly smile.

"Yes." Zarbon said as Frieza's eyes widened, showing he was clearly pleased by the offer. "You forget about those Saiyans, and we will report to you any suspicious actions or failure to follow orders on their part, Lord Frieza."

Dodoria nodded to Zarbon in agreement.

"Fine." Frieza huffed with relief, before turning to leave the room. He suddenly stopped and turned to face the other two with a sinister smile, "but if it does turn out that they left survivors on Frai, I still want to deal with their punishment myself."

Frieza's smile widened before he turned to leave the room. Zarbon and Dodoria smiled back and nodded obediently to the order. It seemed Frieza was prepared to move on from worrying over the Saiyans, and to carry on with his other duties in expanding his rule over the universe. Zarbon and Dodoria knew they were bound for more spoils and rewards by Frieza's side, as long as they were able to keep those Saiyans in check.


	14. Under The Radar

A blip appeared on the blue lens of the scouter, blinking repeatedly as Goku's eyes widened in alarm at the sight. "I've got one." He alerted the others as he clicked his finger against the scouter to narrow in on the blip's location, registering a power level of 20.

"You know," Goku frowned pensively, "this reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to hunt for Dragonballs with my friends, using radar sorta like this." A nostalgic smile eased across Goku's face at the memory while he pointed in the direction of the reading.

Vegeta quirked a brow in intrigue at something Goku said, before Goku's frown returned and his head lowered to the ground. "Except...Dragonball hunting never made me sick to my stomach."

"Aw, Kakarot," Nappa grumbled, "will you get over it already? What is this? Your fifth purge? Sixth?" Nappa guessed, shrugging dubiously as he tapped a finger against his own scouter to confirm Goku's findings.

Goku frowned back at Nappa as Vegeta crossed his arms with a distant gaze, seemingly distracted from the current conversation.

Nappa's lip pulled up subtly with a hint of amusement. "We purge. It's what we do. Hunting down the survivors _used_ to be the fun part," Nappa said pointedly as the amusement disappeared from his expression, "until you came along...like a wet blanket." Nappa stared at Goku with a puss on his face, as Goku was thinking about how cruel and wrong it was to carelessly attack and decimate the survivors of entire races, just because Frieza wanted their planet.

"Well," Goku conceded stiffly after a long, tense pause, "we'd better finish this purge soon, because I just remembered that Zarbon and Dodoria are expecting us."

"Awww," Nappa groaned in blatant disappointment, "what for?"

Goku shrugged indifferently. "I d'know. Dodoria didn't make it sound like a problem or anything." Goku explained as he turned to wistfully gaze around the expanse of destruction surrounding them.

"To keep an eye on us, _that's_ what for." Vegeta interjected with a sour demeanor, before turning his calculated focus on Goku. "What was that you said earlier, Kakarot?"

Goku startled in surprise at Vegeta's unexpected address before staring back at him, dumbfounded by the off-topic question.

"What did you say this reminded you of?" Vegeta prompted irritably.

"Huh?" Goku tilted his head curiously before a smile of realization crossed his face. "Oh! Dragonball hunting!"

Vegeta pursed his lips pensively before looking to Nappa with a knowing look. "Ring any bells, Nappa?"

"Dragonballs?" Nappa scratched his bald scalp. "What the hell are Dragonballs?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and scoffed at Nappa's ignorance as Goku's smile widened. "The Dragonballs were on Earth." Goku said. "If you collected all seven, you could summon the eternal dragon and have any one wish granted."

"Sh!" Vegeta scolded harshly as he reached for his scouter. "Turn off your scouters."

"Why?" Goku asked.

Vegeta turned his off and Nappa followed his example without a second thought. "Fine." Vegeta huffed crossly, "don't turn it off then. I'm done talking to you." Vegeta turned his back to Goku and began to walk away with Nappa following at his simple wordless beckoning of a wave.

Goku removed his scouter from his ear in a rush as his curiosity was sparked. "Hey, wait!" . Goku ran up behind Vegeta, bumping into the abruptly stopping shorter Saiyan in his eagerness. Vegeta growled angrily as he turned to face Goku's apologetic smile. "What is it, Vegeta?" Goku asked with a guilty chuckle, having already forgotten the collision that still had Vegeta irritated.

Vegeta huffed before giving Goku a cunning smile. "There's a legend we've heard about the Dragonballs-"

"There is?" Nappa interrupted incredulously.

Vegeta glared at Nappa for the interruption before continuing. "-on Planet Namek. I thought all this time they were only superstitious stories." Vegeta met Goku's eyes, raising his brows tellingly. "There are plenty of legends in space, and most are garbage."

"Like the one about the Super Saiyan?" Goku asked, cocking his head curiously before Vegeta glared furiously back at him for that supposition.

Nappa glared as well, causing Goku to raise his brows in alarm at the unexpected reactions. "There was a Super Saiyan!" Nappa blasted as he pounded his fist into his open palm for emphasis. "There'll be one again, too, if we're ever going to overpower Frieza."

Goku's eyes widened in excitement at Nappa's words. "You really think so?" Goku asked hopefully before placing his hands on his hips with a dubious frown. "I mean, the way Dodoria tells it-"

"I'll kill Dodoria for all the trash he talks about us Saiyans!" Vegeta interrupted. "That incompetent tub of lard doesn't know anything about the capabilities of a Saiyan, Kakarot!"

Goku frowned back at Vegeta before shrugging casually. "You _could_ now, you know."

"Yeah! You really can, Vegeta!" Nappa added with a low chuckle and a devilish smile.

"I can _what_?"

"Kill him." Goku shrugged again. "I mean, with all this secret training we've been doing on these purges, you're definitely stronger than Dodoria now." Goku lowered his chin and frowned to himself. "I don't think you should, though. He's not all that bad."

Vegeta glared at Goku before a self-assured smile crossed his face. "Of course I've far surpassed Dodoria." Vegeta crossed his arms smugly. "But I can't kill him yet. Maybe if this Dragonball legend is true, I won't have to wait as long as I thought, though."

"Oh." Goku frowned before his eyes widened in alarm. "Wait! You said Planet Namek has the Dragonballs, too?!" Goku asked as he suddenly registered the significance of what Vegeta had said earlier.

"I _said_ ," Vegeta corrected snidely as he slightly turned his back to Goku, "there is a legend about them. That doesn't mean they're really there."

"But Kakarot said there was a Namekian living on Earth, Vegeta!" Nappa excitedly informed the other Saiyan as a wide smile of realization crossed his face.

Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise before he looked to Goku for confirmation, who was already nodding fervently with a wide smile of his own. "The Dragonballs _have_ to be on Namek! I know it!" Goku exclaimed as he clasped his fists tightly in front of himself, nearly jumping in excitement. "We need to go there! We could still wish everyone back on Earth!"

"No way we're wishing for that!" Nappa exclaimed.

"No." Vegeta agreed. "We need to report to Zarbon and Dodoria before we alarm Frieza's suspicion. Or have you already forgotten about that, Kakarot?" Vegeta responded with a sly smile.

Goku glared stubbornly back at him. "I don't care what Frieza wants us to do."

"If we don't show now, they'll all know we're up to something. Remember our plans, Kakarot." Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku accusingly. "Or are you letting your excitement over your Earthling friends make you forget about everything we've been working towards?"

Goku glared angrily back at Vegeta, dropping his fists by his sides. "No. I know what we need to do."

Vegeta smiled triumphantly at Goku's seeming concession. Goku's eyes sparkled with determination before he spoke again. "But we don't need the Dragonballs to defeat Frieza," Goku said with a mischievous smile, "especially if the legend of the Super Saiyan is true."

Vegeta scoffed before smirking at Goku knowingly. "And you think _you'll_ be the legendary Super Saiyan?"

"Maybe." Goku replied with a cocky grin.

"Uhhhh...guys." Nappa interrupted as Goku and Vegeta eyed each other challengingly. Both shifted their gazes to see Nappa clicking the scouter against his ear. "We need to move now. Zarbon sounds pissed." Nappa indicated the flashing screen of his scouter. Vegeta and Goku frowned with irritation.

"You two finish up here." Goku said. "I'll go ahead to meet with Zarbon and Dodoria."

Goku levitated into the air and replaced the scouter against his ear. Vegeta glared defiantly at the order while Nappa shrugged and shifted as if prepared to hunt down the remaining survivors on his own.

Goku looked knowingly at Vegeta's stubborn posturing. "You can catch up when you're done." Vegeta scowled at Goku, still unmoving, while Goku smirked teasingly. "We don't want to let them get suspicious of us. Right, Vegeta?"

Vegeta growled and clenched his fists tightly by his side, but levitated into the air and clicked on his own scouter to register readings of more survivors' locations. "Don't tell them anything you shouldn't, Kakarot."

"I won't." Goku nodded one curt nod of agreement. He smiled as Vegeta launched away into the air, followed by Nappa.

Goku flew alone to the landing site of their space pods, climbing into his pod and reporting over his scouter to Zarbon that he was heading to their meeting location. As the hatch of his pod sealed closed, a smile eased across Goku's face. With Piccolo dead, Goku had known the Dragonballs on Earth were also lost to Raditz's purge. But now, knowing that there might be a set of them on another planet, Goku finally had hope.

After months of despair and reluctant acceptance of his planet's fate, Goku finally had a chance to save the Earth. It wouldn't be easy, but if there was even the slightest chance, he was going to wish back to life all those killed by his brother on Earth. He just had to find a way to get to Namek without being followed. Goku couldn't risk allowing Frieza to know about the power of the Dragonballs, and if anyone from the planetary trade followed him, Frieza would learn what he was up to. And once Frieza knew about the Dragonballs, he would undoubtedly do whatever it took to claim the wish for himself.

Goku had a bigger problem than Frieza. It was clear that Vegeta had his own plans in mind for the Dragonballs. After that conversation, Goku making a secret trip to Namek without Vegeta and Nappa's notice would be impossible. Goku would have to find the Dragonballs _with_ Vegeta and Nappa, and then somehow make his wish without allowing Vegeta and Nappa to wish for something else first. As Goku crossed his arms within the confines of his pod zooming through space, his mouth twisted into a frown and he knitted his brows pensively at the conundrum. Maybe wishing the Earth back wasn't going to be as easy as he thought. Yet, Goku couldn't help smiling excitedly again. He would wish them back somehow. He would have his chance to see his friends and family again. No matter what it took, Goku was determined to do it.

* * *

"Just how long will it take us to get to _this_ planet, now?" Vegeta said as he placed a new scouter to his ear and narrowed his eyes peevishly at Zarbon across the launch pad.

Zarbon smirked back as Goku and Nappa turned towards their waiting ships complacently. "Maybe two, maybe three months."

Goku and Nappa walked ahead to their pods. Vegeta grit his teeth at the taunting smirk he saw crossing Zarbon's face as he turned to head towards his own pod. That follower found too much enjoyment in irritating Vegeta with long hauls through space, lousy assignments, and constant reminders of Zarbon's special status in Frieza's empire.

As Vegeta's back turned completely to Zarbon and he followed the other Saiyans towards their pods, ignoring any further taunting that might come from Zarbon while Dodoria stood aside him in silence, a smug smile crossed Vegeta's face. The joke would ultimately be on Zarbon. That fool had no idea what was coming, and he _wouldn't_ know until it was too late.

Vegeta chuckled deviously before he reached the stationed pods on the launch pad, where the other Saiyans were already seating themselves in theirs while a small group of soldiers from Frieza's lower ranks were assisting with checking over the ships. Vegeta eyed their planetary destination input on one soldier's electronic pad, catching a glimpse of Goku eyeing him intently from inside his pod as he did so.

He ignored Kakarot and focused on the destination planet, which was just another meaningless purge, the same routine as all the others. He knew what Kakarot was thinking, though. The idiot was too intent on getting the victims on his home planet wished back to life to realize just what a perfect opportunity those Dragonballs presented for their revolt against Frieza. Vegeta wouldn't give him the chance to ruin this, and he sure as hell wasn't going to wait for Frieza to become aware of the Dragonballs.

Faster than the blink of an eye, Vegeta extended his finger to the pad in the soldier's hand, pressing a button to reset their destination. Goku tilted his head questioningly at Vegeta, seemingly the only one who caught sight of his action. Vegeta stubbornly ignored the look as he removed himself from Goku's gaze and seated himself in his pod. Nappa's hatch then closed slowly, followed by Goku's. Vegeta's began closing just as Goku's was nearly sealed shut.

"Wait! Hold on a minute!" The soldier with electronic pad in hand called in alarm as the hatch to Vegeta's ship froze in its place. The alarmed soldier read over his tablet and held his hand in a halting gesture to the soldier controlling the launch. "Wha-...uh...Vegeta, sir?" The soldier rambled nervously as he scratched his scaly head and leaned down to view Vegeta below the partially closed hatch.

Vegeta smirked to himself knowingly. "Yes?"

"Uh...where was Lord Frieza sending you?"

"You should already know that, _shouldn't_ you?" Vegeta goaded remorselessly.

The green skinned alien flushed with embarrassment at his mistake.

Vegeta sighed heavily with feigned annoyance. "Planet Namek."

"Oh! Uh...are you sure? I thought that was a pretty low grade planet..." the soldier replied hesitantly as he keyed information into his device quizzically.

Vegeta glared firmly back through the slit of a view he had through the opening of his hatch. "The better question is," Vegeta said tersely, "if _you're_ sure you really want to test my patience right now, making me wait on this launch pad one second longer!" Vegeta's volume rose as he spoke, causing the weaker soldier to quake in fear of the Saiyan prince's threatening demeanor.

"No! No! I apologize, Prince Vegeta. Clear for takeoff!" The soldier called out hurriedly as his fingers worked again just as quickly, resetting the destination for the three Saiyan pods to Planet Namek.

Vegeta chuckled again as his hatch closed and he crossed his arms comfortably in his cushy seat of the small space pod.

 _"Vegeta?"_ Goku's curious voice rudely interrupted Vegeta's momentary satisfaction over the scouter.

"What?!"

 _"What was the holdup?"_

"Tch." Vegeta scoffed in annoyance. "Nothing you need to worry about, Kakarot. We'll be where we need to be soon enough."

 _"Aww,"_ Goku complained miserably, causing Vegeta to wince at the annoying tone of his voice, _"I hate sitting in this tiny ship for months! I'm always all cramped up when we get there."_

 _"Me, too!"_ Nappa vehemently interjected, causing Vegeta to roll his eyes _. "Vegeta! What were you talking about with those weaklings before takeoff?"_

Vegeta clenched his jaw tightly, refusing to justify either of the other Saiyans' ridiculous complaints with a reply. _"_

 _Huh?"_ Nappa prompted pushily after there was no answer.

Vegeta growled his irritation before abruptly reaching for his scouter and turning it off. He couldn't have told the other Saiyans that they were heading to Namek if he wanted to. There were others listening over the scouters. Not that he would have told them, anyways.

He didn't want Kakarot getting any ideas before they landed. By keeping their destination to himself, Vegeta could use the time in space to devise a way to keep Kakarot out of the way of his own quest for the Dragonballs. Of course, that planning required peace and quiet. Vegeta was grateful for the separate pods. He felt he had reached the limits of his patience for traveling through space while listening to those two idiots whining and complaining.

At least Vegeta knew he would not need to tolerate any more of this mundane routine after they reached their destination. _He_ would be the one in control after his wish was fulfilled on Planet Namek. Vegeta closed his eyes in contentment and smiled to himself with the knowledge that Frieza's reign was finally going to come to an end.

* * *

"The Saiyans are headed off for their latest mission, Lord Frieza." Zarbon informed his commander via scouter from his position on the launch pad as he watched the three small pods disappear into space.

Dodoria raised a curious brow at Zarbon as the two of them waited for a response. The hesitation that preceded Frieza's response had him alarmed.

 _"And they've done everything you've asked of them lately?"_ Frieza's voice finally sounded over the scouters.

Dodoria met Zarbon's eyes, nodding in agreement. "Yes, Lord Frieza." Dodoria said. "All of their purges have been completed, no survivors left behind." Dodoria shrugged, frowning to himself in consideration of how well-behaved the Saiyans had been lately. "They didn't even put up much of a fuss about the long travel they've got ahead of them for _this_ purge."

Zarbon crossed his arms and sighed with boredom. Clearly, he did not recognize the suspicious tone Frieza used, but Dodoria did. And now, he was beginning to understand the source of Frieza's suspicion. Acting in accordance with Frieza's wishes was strange behavior in itself, for the Saiyans. The lack of attitude, of smug superiority that Saiyans usually exhibited was uncharacteristic of the trio. Dodoria pursed his lips pensively as there was a lull in their conversation while Zarbon gazed around the launch pad complacently.

 _"Something smells funny."_ Frieza finally replied sourly.

"Tell me about it." Zarbon interjected with an amused smirk and a wave of his hand in front of his face. "Those monkeys probably haven't bathed in a _month_."

Dodoria winced as he heard Frieza growl with aggravation over the scouter.

Zarbon finally picked up on Frieza's mood as his eyes widened in alarm. "Pardon me, Lord Frieza. Is there something you wish for us to do?" Zarbon quickly added with an apologetic tone.

Dodoria inhaled sharply as he imagined the many requests Frieza could make. If Frieza was thinking the worst of the Saiyans, he and Zarbon were likely to be sent on a kill mission. Not that Dodoria had any problems killing, especially in regards to that arrogant Saiyan prince and his loyal follower, who likely _were_ up to something. But Goku would be a dangerous target. And Dodoria didn't believe _that_ Saiyan had it in him to scheme behind Frieza's back. It wouldn't be right, punishing Goku for Vegeta's stupidity. Not that Dodoria or Zarbon could possibly contend with someone of his power level, but Frieza was always creative about finding ways to punish his subordinates. Frieza would find some way to have them harm Goku if he wanted it.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Lord Frieza." Dodoria added quickly as he met Zarbon's surprised gaze with a stern look, "But if you'd like, once they've returned from this mission, we can question them for you. If anything seems suspicious, we will deliver them to you so you can deal with the Saiyans _personally_." Dodoria smirked to himself as he realized that was the perfect plea for Frieza to back off on making any hasty demands. Frieza would find the idea of punishing disobedient soldiers himself too appealing to resist.

 _"Don't waste a second questioning them when they return, Dodoria."_ Frieza relented with a disappointed click of his tongue. _"Understand, Zarbon?"_ He added insistently.

Zarbon nodded fervently to himself as he answered, "Yes, Lord Frieza."

"Yes, Lord Frieza." Dodoria added contently as they both clicked off their scouters.

Zarbon narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Dodoria once that conversation ended. "What was that about?"

"Let's not be fools, Zarbon." Dodoria answered confidently, unaffected by the scolding gaze of his companion. "We want Lord Frieza to know we are doing our jobs, monitoring those Saiyans. If they _are_ up to something, we need to make sure we are the first to know, to protect ourselves. Can you imagine what Lord Frieza would do to us if he discovered that the Saiyans were operating some scheme right under our noses?" Dodoria raised his brows insistently as Zarbon gawked speechlessly in realization.

Zarbon gulped nervously before responding to Dodoria. "So when they return and we question them, we need to find out everything they've been doing before Frieza does."

Dodoria pursed his lips tightly in consideration. "We _could_ do that," Dodoria answered as a sly smile eased across his face, "but I think a better idea would be to use the time we have to follow them now and see for ourselves exactly what they might be up to."

Zarbon chuckled in agreement. "Right, Dodoria. I'll order ships for us right away. Where were they headed again?" Zarbon asked as he clicked on his scouter to hear the voice of an operator at the launch pad, waiting for instruction.

Dodoria crossed his arms as he answered Zarbon indifferently. "Planet Pultri."


	15. Into Action

A/N: I just want to clarify again, like I did in an earlier chapter, the timeline here. I know the passing of time has been very vague, but for most of the past few chapters, really, not much time was passing. It was a busy sequence of events occurring all around the same time. The only passing of time since the last timeline update was at the last purge, when it was mentioned that it was Goku's fifth or sixth purge, which counted Spetti in the beginning, as well as Frai, where he didn't kill them and should have. It seems purges shouldn't take more than a day for a team like the Saiyans, especially with Goku's current power level. The only thing taking up time was their traveling through space. So now we're about nine months from the time when Earth was attacked by Raditz. Hopefully that makes sense to everyone :)

Also, without realizing it, I switched perspectives from third patient omniscient to third person limited from here on out. Oops. But I'd have to rewrite several chapters to fix that, so hopefully it flows enough that it doesn't bother any readers. It must, for me to have gone several chapters before I even realized I made the change. Still, I felt the need to acknowledge this.

* * *

Goku stepped out of his pod, taking in the panorama of green sky and mountainous, dry land before him. The planet had a foreign, bizarre look about it, but that wasn't unusual. Yet, Goku couldn't help feeling that something was...off.

He scratched his head before curiously looking to Vegeta. "Have you ever been to Pultri _before_?"

"Tch." Vegeta huffed irritably, as if Goku had just interrupted him from some deep concentration.

Actually, Vegeta did look like he was really deep in thought about something ever since they landed. With a tilt of his head, Goku redirected his question to Nappa, who clearly had heard him the first time, judging by the way Nappa scowled at him for asking.

"Huh?" Goku pressed impatiently.

"No, Kakarot, we haven't." Nappa relented with a steady shake of his head as he reached for his scouter.

Goku narrowed his eyes at the registering digits blinking across Nappa's scouter before an interesting realization hit him. He could sense power levels all over the planet. They were pretty strong by most planets' standards, but not nearly as strong as the challenge they had been promised on Pultri. If this was right, they were being sent on another genocide mission, without even the excitement of a challenge to dilute the mounting guilt that had been increasingly eating away at Goku after each mission.

Goku growled with frustration. "Hey! This is all wrong!"

"Wrong? What's wrong about it?" Nappa questioned with an indifferent shrug. "We get to kill alien scum, don't we?"

He smirked maliciously as Goku glared back impatiently and Vegeta remained focused on his concentration with his back to the others. Goku opened his mouth to reply, then faltered. He didn't know what he was to tell Nappa. He only had a feeling and the knowledge that the life forms on the planet weren't as strong as he expected, which would not matter at all to Nappa.

Goku finally sighed in defeat. "Alright, Nappa. Go."

Goku relented as he put the usual routine into motion, pointing towards the south as he directed Nappa. The burly Saiyan did not waste a second, taking off into the air with a cruel gleam in his eyes. Goku turned away as Nappa disappeared from sight. So many times, he'd wanted to stop him. But the cost of going against Frieza was too great. Goku shifted his focus to Vegeta, who seemed locked into his own mind and still intently focused. It almost seemed like he was planning something. Come to think of it, Vegeta was taking this mission very seriously. And he was never serious about purge assignments.

"Vegeta?" Goku asked with his head cocked curiously. When Goku knew Vegeta had heard him, but there was no reply, Goku firmly tried again. "Vegeta!"

"What, Kakarot?" Vegeta groaned dismissively without turning to face his superior.

Goku smirked knowingly as he approached the smaller Saiyan. He knew something was up with Vegeta.

"What?" Vegeta asked again, turning to eye Goku suspiciously, before a taunting smirk graced his lips. "You're not leaving this purge solely up to that moron, are you?"

He chortled in amusement with a nod to clearly indicate Nappa. Goku pursed his lips disapprovingly. Vegeta was definitely up to something, to be deflecting Goku's questions so quickly.

Goku furrowed his brows in concentration. "Vegeta...what happened...before takeoff?" Goku wondered curiously as he recalled when Vegeta first seemed to start acting secretive.

It was right before the launch. Vegeta never did explain his conversation at the launch pad to him or Nappa.

Vegeta sneered angrily at the question. "Are you putting me to work or not?" He asked tersely before mockingly narrowing his eyes at Goku, "oh great leader."

Goku met Vegeta's challenging gaze with one of his own. Unfortunately, he couldn't decipher what was going on on his own, and with Vegeta staying tight-lipped, he really had nothing more to do than continue with the usual procedure.

Goku sighed in defeat, intending to let Vegeta set off towards the north to battle in his own territory. "Alright, Vege-"

Goku stopped abruptly as the fast approach of two strong power levels alarmed his senses. Vegeta looked bewildered by Goku's alarmed look and abrupt halt in speech, until both of their scouters began beeping wildly.

"Incoming." Goku informed Vegeta, rather pointlessly, as Vegeta clearly knew as well as he did that a power level of 1200 and a power level of 4000 were headed directly towards them.

Yet, in spite of their inferior power levels, Vegeta seemed threatened by their approach as he tensed and shook his head, breathing in disbelief. "No. Not yet."

Goku raised a brow curiously before deciding he'd better check on Nappa, seeing that the natives were clearly aware of their presence. The scouter readings, though unnecessary for Goku, showed that Nappa had landed at his destination, an area with a small population, which surprisingly _still had_ a small population. Nappa had to be toying with them. Goku reminded himself that the big oaf did that from time to time.

Even so, Goku was having bad feelings about this entire purge. "Something's not right here."

Vegeta growled loudly with ire before launching himself into the air without a word, determined, in the opposite direction of the approaching power levels, which were closing in on the landing site where only Goku remained.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled with frustration when he realized, too late, that Vegeta had abandoned him.

Goku could have stopped Vegeta, but instead he turned his attention on the landing parties. He was more interested in why they were seeking him out, a very rare occurrence during a purge. Once he sighted the landing pair, Goku's eyes widened in disbelief. The green skin with patches of purple, the antennas, and the Piccolo-like scowls of the aliens were a shocking sight to see.

"You're-you're...Nameks!" Goku breathed in shock as the pair hit the ground and continued glaring at him.

"Of course we are." One answered rudely.

Goku gawked disbelievingly before a pleasant realization came to him. If those were Namekians, they had to be on Namek. Which meant Dragonballs could be on the planet. Which meant he could take the opportunity to revive his friends and family, after all those months of being and feeling so permanently alone. It was too bad Nappa and Vegeta had already left. With their help, he could-

Vegeta.

That was why they were here. That was why the Saiyan prince was so secretive and hurried to take off alone. This wasn't good.

"We know what you are. _Saiyan_." The Namekian spat the name so venomously that Goku flinched in response. "We know your group came with bad intentions, and we are here to defend our planet, with everything we have."

"That's good. You'll need to be prepared." Goku agreed openly and honestly, knowing that with Namek under Frieza's radar, the people would not stand a chance of survival.

"We are. You are not going to destroy our people, or our planet. We will defend Namek with our lives."

Goku frowned sadly back at the Namekian. "I'm afraid your lives won't be enough to save your planet."

"Maybe not, but that won't stop us. If it costs us our lives to defend Namek, so be it."

The second Namekian's response held such vigor, such finality, that Goku couldn't help admiring their determination, even in the face of inevitable defeat. It reminded him of a time that felt lost to him, when he would have stood against a stronger opponent and sworn victory. Frieza has truly done a number on the Goku who could stand up and confidently speak that way. Yet, part of Goku now couldn't help thinking that these people were fools, even as he _wanted_ to believe they stood a chance.

"You Saiyans aren't going to destroy our people. We wish you no harm, but you aren't welcome here." The second Namekian warned.

The threat was empty, and the Namekians knew it. Goku was sure they could sense his power. Piccolo and Kami always knew how to do it, and judging by the wariness of these Namekians, he was willing to bet that they knew, too. That only made their effort all the more admirable. It was like watching Bulma threaten a martial arts master, or Krillin stand in for him against an enemy he knew he had no business to fight, or Chi-Chi give him orders, or Gohan...

Everyone he loved.

He had to bring them back. Goku looked at the Nameks with determination as he decided to not only revive his loved ones, but help the Namekians who would desperately need his help. They were in more trouble than they realized.

"Leave this planet in peace." The Namekian again kindly but firmly demanded after Goku's long, pensive stare had obviously made the Namekians both nervous.

"It's too late for that." Goku informed the Nameks with a sly, yet friendly smile.

The Nameks exchanged a curious glance before narrowing their eyes at Goku. "You won't heed our warning?" The first Namek asked with an air of bravado.

Goku simply shook his head before quickly changing the subject as he recalled the haste of Vegeta's earlier retreat. "You have Dragonballs on this planet?"

The Namekians gaped in shock at Goku's knowledge of the magical balls before exchanging a protective, cautious look.

Goku observed them, then nodded to himself with a sober frown. "I ask because there was a set on Planet Earth, where I grew up. The God of our planet, a Namekian named Kami made them." The Nameks briefly looked pleased by the prospect of another Namekian, until Goku quickly informed them of the bad news. "He's dead. Along with Earth's Dragonballs."

Goku couldn't help growling under his breath with frustration with the thought as he clenched his fists tightly by his sides. All the time he'd spent mourning everyone on Earth was resurfacing, like it had just happened with this newfound hope of their revival coming to light. Goku looked up from his downcast gaze to pleadingly meet the Namekian's eyes.

"Dead? One of ours?" The first Namekian's voice softened as he raised a brow to the other.

"Kami?" The second Namekian responded musingly, rolling the name off his tongue before turning to lock his sight somewhere in a far-off direction. "Guru would know."

"Take me to him." Goku urged with a domineering step forward.

He knew this Guru would have to be the one to speak to, if the Namekians, and the Dragonballs, for that matter, would have any chance of survival with Vegeta on the hunt. The Namekians defensively stepped back and braced themselves in fighting stances at Goku's sudden move and insistence. There was so much distrust in their eyes. Goku knew it might come down to using force to get through to them in a hurry. But they would thank him later.

He tried talking one last time, in the hopes of avoiding unnecessary violence, something of which he'd witnessed much too much over the past months. "Listen. I'm the best chance you've got, if you plan to protect your people."

The second Namek scowled disbelievingly at Goku. "Like we're stupid enough to trust a Saiyan around our revered elder."

The first Namekian narrowed his eyes perceptively at Goku and eased his stance, placing a calming hand on the other's tense shoulder. "Guru would know if this one was evil or not. And if he truly wants the Dragonballs and _understands_ them, then he will pose no harm to Guru." He reasoned with a meaningful look at Goku.

"No." The other replied gruffly as he clenched his fists by his sides and glared at Goku.

Goku smiled at the reasonable Namekian appreciatively, who was clearly already in agreement with his demand, and then glared back challengingly at the other, with a smile curling his lip. "You're gonna have to believe me. You and your people have no idea of the danger you're in right now. And we're wasting time."

* * *

Vegeta chuckled maliciously at the sight of green, purple blood-spattered bodies littering the ground. They were so stupid to question him, knowing he was a Saiyan. People like that deserved to be dead. Vegeta smirked to himself as he scanned the horizon again, sighting no more survivors. He clicked on his scouter, checking to be sure there weren't anymore hidden in one of the dwellings surrounding him. His scouter beeped with only his own power level registering in the area, to his satisfaction. Vegeta raised a brow curiously as it also alerted him to the speedy movement of another cluster of power levels, which included a huge power level that could only be Kakarot on that planet.

It was obvious by now that Kakarot realized they were on Namek; the discovery was inevitable. Vegeta had hoped for more time before either of those two moron companions of his would have realized their true location, but those damn Nameks had to come preemptively flying to them. They must've thought they would fight and defend their people. In that aspect, Vegeta was almost sorry he didn't stick around longer. But he couldn't be with Kakarot when Kakarot realized the truth. Vegeta had to get those Dragonballs for himself before Kakarot would either stop him or assert his own stupid revival wish over Vegeta's. The traveling blips moved further, and most certainly were traveling together.

"What could he be up to?" Vegeta wondered aloud as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously and turned off his scouter to refocus his attention on his surroundings.

Kakarot's mind didn't have the capacity for some brilliant plan, but he obviously had his reasons for joining the Nameks rather than killing them. Maybe there were some secrets about the Dragonballs that Kakarot was keeping to himself. If the cooperation of the Nameks was required, well…

"That's too bad." Vegeta relented to himself with an amused smirk as he entered the nearest Namekian home to inspect its contents.

Vegeta wasn't going to play nice with the locals, and if their cooperation was required for his wish to come true, well, Vegeta decided he'd have to _persuade_ them to cooperate. The inside of the home was pretty plain and empty, with only the bare necessities for living. Vegeta stepped out, walking towards the next home for an inspection.

As he inspected the similar home, Vegeta couldn't shake the nagging thought that was plaguing him. He could find the Dragonballs and force the Nameks to cooperate with fulfilling his wish, but Kakarot would be after the same thing. Getting around him would be much more difficult. And with the Nameks already apparently cooperating with Kakarot (because Vegeta couldn't imagine Kakarot _forcing_ the Nameks to travel with him), Kakarot might've had a head start already. Vegeta scowled deeply in discontent with that thought as he left that house and entered the next one.

Upon stepping into the third Namekian home, Vegeta's deep scowl slowly turned up into a triumphant smile. His eyes lit on the pedestal in the center of the home, displaying a large, orange ball with two golden stars. If the Nameks were trying to keep their magic a secret, this sure as hell was a stupid way of protecting it. Vegeta let out a low chuckle in his throat as he reached for the ball, tucking it tightly beneath his arm after a quick inspection. His chuckle grew louder as he firmly held the ball to his side, seeing victory in his future already. Kakarot may have had the lead in some way, but Vegeta had the first Dragonball. He'd have to let Nappa in on his plans. Commander or not, Nappa would always be loyal to him. Vegeta knew he could trust the only other elite Saiyan in the universe to do his bidding.

After all, Nappa would like to be immortal, too.

* * *

"What do you want?" Frieza asked impatiently into his scouter as he resentfully answered the call of his persistent underling, who he had been trying to ignore up until this point.

 _"Lord Frieza, forgive my intrusion."_ The minion began, causing Frieza to roll his eyes to himself, before narrowing them impatiently.

"How could I possibly do that, when your intrusion hasn't _ended_ , Appule?" Frieza's cool, slowly-spoken statement served its purpose well enough as Appule audibly gulped on the other end of the line. "Perhaps, I'll return the favor soon enough and impose on you."

 _"No! No, Lord Frieza, please! That won't be necessary!"_ The alien spluttered almost incomprehensibly in his haste.

Frieza tsked at Appule's uppity reaction.

 _"You'll want to hear what I have to say, Lord Frieza!"_ He added, causing Frieza's eyes to widen with intrigue, as he was slightly interested now in what Appule had to say.

Frieza made a mental note to make that visit with Appule, if this information didn't prove very useful. "What is it, then?"

 _"The Saiyans, Lord Frieza. I thought you might want to know that they never arrived here on Pultri, as they were scheduled to."_

Frieza raised a brow in surprise at the claim. He wondered if it had been that long since they left for Pultri, but he supposed Appule was right. They should have been there by now. But Frieza already had two reliable henchmen tasked with keeping an eye on that lot. He should not have been hearing this from Appule, who should have known to report his findings to those two rather than disturbing Frieza. That fool was definitely dead.

"What do Zarbon and Dodoria have to say about this?" Frieza growled angrily in a low whisper.

 _"Well, Lord Frieza, I found it better that I come directly to you with this information."_ Appule replied slowly as he carefully chose his words.

"Why?"

 _"Because, my lord, Zarbon and Dodoria...are here."_ Appule replied in a conspiratorial whisper.

Frieza knit his brows together tightly in perplexity. Zarbon and Dodoria on Pultri, the planet the Saiyans were assigned to purge? It didn't make any sense, unless those idiots took it upon themselves to purge the planet _for_ those monkeys. Frieza growled angrily before clicking his finger harshly against his scouter to hang up on Appule. That fool could live another day after all, but he certainly didn't deserve a goodbye.

Frieza immediately contacted Zarbon after that conference, needing to hear exactly what story that incompetent pair could scramble up. "Zarbon, did we decide to send the Saiyans on vacation?" Frieza questioned facetiously as soon as he heard the shaky voice with which Zarbon answered his summons.

 _"Lord Frieza!"_

"Where are you?" Frieza questioned accusingly without awaiting an answer to his first question.

Zarbon let out a miserable groan that let Frieza know that Zarbon knew exactly what Frieza was referring to. A long, tense silence ensued, during which Frieza patiently tapped his fingers on his hoverchair. He was willing to wait. Zarbon obviously needed time to concoct a feasible excuse. This had better be good.

 _"You have to understand, Lord Frieza."_ Zarbon paused with an audible gulp. _"We're doing everything we can to track down their current location-"_

"Like traveling millions of miles to Pultri?!" Frieza exploded incredulously.

Zarbon had admitted it, and hardly even bothered to make excuses. The Saiyans could be anywhere in the universe! They escaped his grasp, and Frieza liked having a grasp around the Saiyans. He liked having his hands clutched so tightly around them that they couldn't breathe. Having them free and on the loose, he did _not_ like. Not at all.

 _"We'll find them, Lord Frieza!"_ Zarbon sputtered anxiously, lacking the assuredness that Frieza needed to hear. _"Dodoria and I already sent men throughout the universe to find them-"_

"It's not enough!" Frieza pounded a fist on his hoverchair, cracking the framing of the structure.

But he didn't care. He needed the Saiyans found immediately. Every day, every hour, every minute they were unaccounted for, Frieza would have to worry about them causing his downfall. The Saiyans were a threat, strengthened with his training of Goku, working together, off on some silly mission, reverting to their usual, rebellious selves even after all the time Frieza put into training them to think differently. Frieza felt his heart wrench with fear of the possibilities, a feeling he rarely ever felt.

 _"We'll track them ourselves, we'll-"_

"You do that, Zarbon." Frieza interrupted tersely between clenched teeth. "You and that _useless_ Dodoria, because if you don't find them and _soon_ , you're both finished."

Frieza abruptly cancelled the call, not bothering to wait to hear from Dodoria. He couldn't tolerate any more excuses right now. He wanted to kill someone. He _needed_ to kill someone right now.

"Lord Frieza," a soldier greeted with a bow as he entered Frieza's chamber with his hand clutched to his chest in a sign of respect. Frieza didn't wait to hear what the soldier had to say. He already provided him with exactly what he needed.

Frieza smiled as he extended a hand towards the distant weakling, who trembled before Frieza exerted his power and crushed the man with his ki, making the soldier implode before he even realized that he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Frieza sighed in relief after releasing that surge of power. That felt better, but he still needed to know what the Saiyans were planning. Their sudden escape from under his watchful eye was extremely unsettling.

Frieza decided he had to squash the Saiyans when he found them. Useful as they were, the Saiyans had overstepped their bounds, and for that, it would cost them their lives.


	16. Incoming

"Nappa!" Vegeta growled furiously, "do you have any idea what you might have cost us?"

Nappa frowned, scratched his head, and panned his vision across the array of scattered bodies littering the Namekian village he had just slaughtered. Everything seemed fine to him, perfectly in check, aside from his loss of a busted scouter. Nappa's frown turned considerate. Maybe that was what had Vegeta all riled up.

"It's not my fault that old guy had bad aim." Nappa chuckled at the memory of the elder in the village, the last one he left standing, who was stupid enough to take a shot at Nappa, only to miss him by inches and destroy his scouter instead. "If his aim was better, my scouter would be fine."

Nappa imagined what little damage that Namek's power could have possibly caused _him_ , even if it hit him square in the face.

"I'm not talking about your stupid scouter!" Vegeta blasted furiously as he demonstratively grasped his own scouter with his free hand which _wasn't_ clutching a strange, orange ball to his side.

Vegeta crushed the scouter before slamming the remains to the ground. Nappa winced. He really had Vegeta angry, which was never a good thing, especially when Nappa had no idea what he'd done wrong. He knew better than to ask, though.

Vegeta's twitching gaze burned into Nappa before he spoke again, still just as furious. "I'm talking about what you did with the scouter _before_ it was destroyed!"

Nappa's eyes widened in alarm as Vegeta seethed with anger. Nappa recalled what he'd said to Vegeta upon his arrival to the village. "Vegeta, I only-"

"You only sentenced us to death if we don't get this done before they get here, you moron!" Vegeta yelled with his fists clenched tightly, stepping forward as Nappa warily took a step back.

Nappa grimaced at the reprimanding as he was still lost, wondering how Vegeta had reached that conclusion. He wondered when calling in to report a successful decimation of a village became something that would lead to a death sentence.

Seeing Nappa's clueless expression, Vegeta scoffed loudly in repugnance. "Didn't you even wonder why the people you were killing were Nameks instead of Pultrians?" Vegeta seethed through clenched teeth as his brows lowered into a harsher glare than he had already been displaying.

Nappa knew it wasn't what Vegeta wanted to hear, but he couldn't help slightly shrugging back at the prince as he answered honestly. "Not really."

"Rrggh!" Vegeta growled furiously as he clenched his hand in his hair, looking ready to pull the gravity-defying locks from his head.

Nappa instinctively braced himself, just before a surge of power emanating from Vegeta blew him back, causing him to stumble backwards several feet before he regained his footing. "Vegeta," Nappa pleaded as he hastily walked back to stand by the prince's side, " _who's_ going to come here?"

Vegeta looked away from Nappa with a pensive sneer. "Whoever Frieza decides to send to kill us."

Vegeta's anger slightly abated into a form of resignation. He seemed to have his wits about him again. As Nappa thought about everything Vegeta had said, the pieces were finally coming together in his head. They were on Namek instead of Pultri, not by Frieza's order, but of their own accord. Apparently, Frieza had no idea they were on Namek, until Nappa mistakenly informed the empire.

Just as Nappa was wondering who Frieza could possibly send to eliminate someone as strong as Kakarot, Vegeta spoke to him as if answering the unspoken question, "perhaps Frieza himself will come." Vegeta looked at Nappa, locking a very serious gaze on Nappa's own look of sober understanding, "there's only one other person who could possibly counter Kakarot's power and ours combined. Either way, I don't plan to still be vulnerable to them when they arrive."

Nappa blinked in bemusement at Vegeta's last statement. He was still clearly in the dark. Nappa furrowed his brows as he recalled what Vegeta mentioned earlier, about 'getting this done' before they arrived. "What do you have planned, Vegeta?" Nappa asked curiously.

As a devious smirk crossed Vegeta's face, Nappa's lip twitched into a knowing smile. Vegeta meaningfully lowered his gaze to the large ball tucked beneath his arm. That look told Nappa that despite the threat of death, there was really nothing to worry about.

"Happen to see another one of _these_ lying around here?"

* * *

"… _we're prepared to go after them right away, Lord Frieza."_

Frieza tapped his chin pensively with a scowl on his face as he finished listening to Zarbon's report over the scouter. It was curious, the Saiyans risking so much to go to such a lousy planet. As far as Frieza could recall, there was nothing special about Namek. A few warriors, lousy soil, some silly stories that he'd never believed to be true. But at least Dodoria and Zarbon finally found them, even if the discovery was made through a call to the communication center, having nothing to do with _their_ futile efforts in the search. Frieza was still considering killing those two for their incompetence in letting it get this far.

He hadn't changed his mind about killing the Saiyans. Nappa was easily disposable, but Frieza still had a soft spot for Vegeta. After all, he had practically raised the Saiyan prince. Vegeta was still his favorite. And Goku…that Saiyan could only be dealt with by his own hand, or one other person in Frieza's service. But seeing what time and effort Frieza had personally put into training that soldier, he really wanted to be the one to deal with Goku's mutiny himself. Unfortunately, he was currently too far from Namek to get there quickly. And he didn't want to waste any time allowing the Saiyans to accomplish whatever they thought they were accomplishing on that planet.

" _Lord Frieza?"_

"Zarbon," Frieza said with a dismissive scoff and roll of his eyes, knowing there was nothing Zarbon and Dodoria would accomplish by going there, but getting themselves killed, "don't bother."

" _But Lord Frieza,"_ Dodoria eagerly interjected over the scouter _, "we can bring them to you. We can-"_

A sinister smile crossed Frieza's face. "Fine. You two go retrieve them for me."

Frieza clicked off his scouter as his smile widened, knowing he had just punished Zarbon and Dodoria without even having to lift a finger. They were even _asking_ for it. Frieza cackled in amusement at the thought of what those two might face upon their arrival before he decided to make another call through his scouter. Frieza wasn't taking any chances. With a firm press of his finger, Frieza smiled in preparations of pleasantries as he awaited the greeting of his most reliable henchman.

" _Lord Frieza, Sir! So nice to hear from you!"_ The familiar voice promptly and dutifully responded.

"Captain Ginyu, always a pleasure." Frieza's smile remained as his brows lowered to a glare with thoughts of the Saiyans and his desire for their imminent defeat at the hands of the Ginyu Force, "I have a mission for you and your men on a nearby planet. Prepare to leave immediately."

* * *

"Wow!" Goku's eyes bulged as he stepped into the small abode on the top of a very tall peak, taking in the sight of the massive, wrinkled, tired-looking Namekian before him. "He's really fat!"

"How dare you!" The more abrasive of the two Namekians escorting Goku scolded harshly, "show some respect to our revered elder. Guru is the eldest Namek, father to us all."

Goku's brows raised in blatant surprise before he pointed a finger at Guru. "He's everyone's father on the entire _planet_?!" Goku asked disbelievingly, nearly falling over from shock as the three able-bodied Namekians surrounding him all nodded their heads in agreement.

Guru coughed, then smiled warmly at Goku, though the large man's eyes never seemed to open. "I hear you come to Namek looking for the Dragonballs, Stranger." Guru drawled with a subtle nod.

Goku nodded in agreement. "And I'm not the only one."

His eyes lit on one of the items of his desire, which was conveniently perched just above the elder's head, atop his throne.

"I see." Guru acceded with a pensive frown. "My children seem distrusting of your intentions."

Goku cast another uneasy glance at the newest Namekian face, who looked eerily similar to Piccolo. "I don't blame them."

Goku stepped forward to speak further, only to have the Namekian who looked like Piccolo step hastily to block his path. Goku lowered his brows into a glare at the Namek, before Guru spoke again. "Let him come forward, Nail."

"But Guru," Nail said as his eyes never left Goku, "this Saiyan has death on his hands. Surely you can sense that. What makes you think you can trust him?" Nail cast a furtive glance at Guru, who only smiled knowingly at the question.

"I'm not proud of the lives I've taken." Goku said remorsefully, before glaring towards the ground with frustrating memories crossing his mind of all the times he'd wanted to prevent purges and regrettably, to the contrary, participated in them. "I did what I had to."

"We Nameks see the Dragonballs as a symbol of wisdom and power." Nail chastised Goku. "They are not simply a tool to satisfy your desires."

Goku frowned guiltily towards the ground. "My only desire is to resurrect the people from Earth, the ones whose deaths I could have prevented, if only I was strong enough back then." Goku bravely lifted his gaze to meet Guru's attentive visage.

"Including Kami, the Namek?" The Namek behind him voiced hopefully, causing Goku to spin around in surprise at his sudden voicing after a long silence.

Goku nodded and slightly smiled in agreement. "Of course."

"Kami? A Namek on Earth?" Guru pursed his expression pensively. "You speak of the child of Katoss. He was of the Dragon clan. You knew him?"

Goku turned around again to face Guru, his slight smile remaining as he nodded again. "Yes."

"I'm sorry to hear he has passed. He was a very talented, promising young man when he left here." Guru lamented. "Let him come forward," Guru directed his order to Nail, who still stood to block Goku's path, "so I can look into the validity of his claims."

Nail scowled at Goku, but willingly obliged his elder, stepping aside as Goku approached the large Namekian by the side of his throne-like chair. To Goku's surprise, a large hand came down over his head, enveloping his scalp as he grimaced dubiously at the awkward gesture while the three warrior Namekians standing before him watched on expectantly. Guru closed his eyes and breathed deeply as a silent, expectant tension filled the room.

After a time had passed, Guru smiled. "Now, I have seen your mind." His hand lifted and allowed Goku to see past it to the smiling face above him. "You have done some terrible things since leaving Earth, but your heart is still pure and your intentions are true. Your bravery and your loyalty to your planet are beyond question. I believe you to be," he reached behind his head, retrieving the Dragonball to extend it to Goku, "worthy to receive this Dragonball."

Goku smiled widely at the unexpected gesture as the other Namekians balked in disbelief. "Guru, you can't be serious!" Nail exclaimed adamantly as one of the escorting Nameks stepped forward and blocked the doorway, as if to prevent Goku from leaving with the Dragonball.

"I know what I saw in his mind." Guru explained firmly as the other Nameks stepped down with guilty frowns. "This man may be a Saiyan, but he is unlike any Saiyan I've ever heard of."

"Guru-" Goku began to express his thanks before he was startled by an alarming sensation, one which Guru seemed to sense, too.

Everyone in the abode turned towards the East all at once, their eyes widening in alarm.

"I'm afraid that something more terrible than Saiyans approaches our planet." Guru expressed solemnly. He shook his head sadly as Goku wracked his brain, trying to think of who could be coming to Namek that would possess such massive power levels.

"Who else would come here?" Goku fretted aloud. "No one even knows we're here!"

The only person he knew that had a power level greater than his was Frieza. Whoever was coming had to be sent by Frieza, Goku was sure of it. Goku wasn't surprised that Frieza would have kept from him any knowledge of someone else with a power level so high, probably as another measure to keep him in check. But Vegeta and Nappa would know who it was. Maybe they could be prepared, if they worked together and Goku knew what he was up against.

"I thought you were sent here to take our planet for that tyrant, Frieza." Nail mused aloud as Goku ignored him and focused on the more immediate need of locating Vegeta and Nappa. "Are these _more_ aliens looking to harm our people like you Saiyans have already started?" Nail accused.

"Don't worry. The other Saiyans and I will take care of these guys before any more Nameks get hurt." Goku stated with determination as he pinpointed Vegeta and Nappa's energies.

Guru seemed at ease as Goku stepped outside through the tiny doorway with his Dragonball, the Namekians allowing his exit as they seemed at a loss with the knowledge of the incoming ships and Goku's unexpected promise.

"Don't forget to tell your friends!" One of the escorting Nameks shouted facetiously as Goku leaped into the sky. "They could use some reminding that you're not here to hurt Nameks!"

Goku glared purposefully as he approached Vegeta and Nappa's location as quickly as he could. He startled in surprise when he felt the power levels flanking him from behind.

"We're coming, too." The two escorting Nameks determined brazenly.

Goku frowned at the noble, yet bad idea. But he knew by that tone that there was no arguing with those Nameks. They wouldn't risk allowing something to happen without putting up a fight. Goku only sighed as he continued flying, now more determined than before.

Those ships were closing in to Namek's atmosphere fast. Goku wanted to make sure that he, Vegeta and Nappa were there to meet them when they landed, or more Nameks would definitely be in trouble.

He wouldn't have any more blood on his hands. Not now, with the hope of the Dragonballs in his sight.


	17. We Are The Ginyu Force

Another village, promising another Dragonball. That was Vegeta's initial thought as he and Nappa landed there, standing amongst the gawking, clueless natives. All he would have to do was get them out of the way, and he'd be ready to add a third to his quickly growing collection. Yet, the alarming, ringing whoosh of someone rapidly approaching through the air drew Vegeta's attention away from the promising village, and towards the distant sky. Vegeta immediately knew who that would be.

"Nappa."

"Vegeta?"

"Kakarot's coming." Vegeta felt his face harden as his brows lowered into a glare.

There was no way he was going to give Kakarot a chance to steal his wish out from under him. As the village Nameks continued to stare with confused visages, Vegeta slightly turned to better address Nappa. Yet, before he opened his mouth to speak with intentions of ordering Nappa to intercept Goku, in his line of sight some ships entering the atmosphere appeared, rendering all thoughts of Vegeta's original intentions nil. Any moves against the other Saiyan would have to wait, as these new arrivals meant that a much more formidable enemy was coming into play. Kakarot's help would be necessary if Vegeta was going to live long enough to make his wish for immortality, given how unlikely that was now.

"Dammit!"

"Vegeta?" Nappa asked before turning around to see what behind him had suddenly vexed the prince. "Shit!"

Nappa nearly dropped one of the large, orange balls cradled beneath his arms and turned back around to incredulously face Vegeta. "That's not who I think it is, _is_ it?"

As Nappa asked the question, Goku's landing party hit the ground, immediately taking an interest in Nappa's query. "Some really incredible powers are in those ships." Goku informed the others, in response to Nappa's question as he landed just feet away from Vegeta.

He was flanked by two tough-acting Namekians with inferior power levels, who Vegeta already knew had no chance of surviving against their newly arrived enemies.

"It has to be the Ginyu force." Vegeta stated confidently, crossing his arms and glaring towards the distant sky as Nappa protectively clutched the balls beneath his arms.

It was exactly as he suspected, Vegeta was sure of it now, given the five ships that contained powers high enough to threaten Kakarot.

"The Ginyu force?" Goku asked in shock. He turned to look astoundedly towards the horizon behind which the ships had disappeared with a rumbling crash, which shook the rocky surface beneath their feet.

Vegeta scoffed knowingly. Of course Kakarot had heard of the infamous team during his time spent in Frieza's empire, but he did not have nearly a clue of their capabilities in comparison to what Vegeta and Nappa knew of them.

"What is this Ginyu force?" An elderly Namekian villager voiced with concern.

"Elder, we need to get you and the children to safety." One of the Nameks accompanying Goku said with resolute concern. "I think it's-"

"We don't have time for this!" Vegeta spat as he realized their precious moments were ticking by, which needed to be used wisely.

The Ginyu force was undoubtedly on Namek, they had landed, and they would be heading straight for Frieza's disobedient team of Saiyans.

"Vegeta!" Nappa yelled, clearly as alarmed and aware of their predicament as Vegeta was, unlike all the other morons.

The Nameks were clearly scared but clueless, and Kakarot seemed more intrigued than alarmed by the presence of that assault team on Namek. For once, Nappa was Vegeta's most reliable ally.

"What are we going to do," Nappa asked as his eyes darted between the Dragonballs beneath his arm, then flickered to the one Goku was carrying, "with all of these?"

Vegeta growled with frenzied frustration before turning towards the outspoken village elder. "You have another one in this village, don't you?"

"Ah...uh-!" the elder stepped back in alarm, slowly shaking his head in denial before he opened his mouth to utter a refusal.

Vegeta bared his teeth at the old man and formed a ball of ki in his hand to illustrate his intentions as he spoke. "I don't have any patience for your lies!"

"Elder!" The Namek Warriors and villagers cried out in alarm.

"Just give it to us." Goku interjected in a calm, low but demanding tone. At the Nameks' questioning looks, Goku raised his chin and explained. "It's not going to be safe any longer in this village _anyways_. Besides," Goku smirked at one of the Namek Warriors standing behind him, "Guru already decided that we could have the Dragonballs."

The warrior Goku was looking at scoffed incredulously while Vegeta relinquished the ki in his hand and contorted his brows in confusion. Vegeta had no idea what Kakarot was getting at. He seemed to be shifting sides, trying to team with Vegeta and Nappa now. But if he really wanted to wish the Earthlings back with the dragon's sole wish, that made no sense.

Maybe Kakarot was finally willing to join them. He _did_ share the other Saiyans' mutual hatred for Frieza. Unless this was all a trick and he was planning on turning against the other Saiyans at the last minute. Vegeta growled irritably with frustration.

In response to witnessing his fury, the mouthier of the Namekian warriors glowered pointedly at Vegeta. "Not _all_ of you."

He was in disagreement with Goku's claim of Guru's permission, as most of the Nameks seemed to be. An older Namek warily waved to Goku, who smiled triumphantly as he followed the hesitant Namek into a tiny dome-shaped home. Vegeta's scouter beeped in a rapid succession in his ear, alerting him and the others around him to the new approach of a group of powerful kis as Goku and the Namek emerged from the home with the fourth Dragonball.

"Wow." Goku breathed in awe of the power levels as he stepped out of the home, pausing to look into the sky towards the approaching enemies.

Vegeta looked around hastily, desperately searching for any way to save the Dragonballs from being discovered by Ginyu and his band of dancing clowns. His eyes lit on the lake just beside the village, which he settled on as the best possible solution in his limited time. The Ginyu force could be showing any second. They didn't have a moment to spare.

"Throw them in the water!" Vegeta ordered the other two Saiyans as he kept his gaze fixed on the screen of his scouter in anticipation. When he didn't immediately hear splashes, Vegeta diverted his gaze from the scouter to glare at the other two Saiyans, who were blinking at him dumbly.

"In the _water_?" Nappa asked curiously.

Goku tilted his head pensively."Why?"

"Just do it!" Vegeta bellowed furiously as the power level readings on his scouter closed in rapidly.

Upon registering Vegeta's fury, Nappa quickly tossed the two Dragonballs without further explanation needed, but Goku still hesitated.

"Uh!" One of the Nameks uttered in wide-eyed realization. "The Dragonballs will be safely hidden in there, Goku! Do as he says!"

With a frantic wave towards the water, the Namek desperately beckoned to Goku with a beseeching gaze. When Goku startled in realization and hastily complied with a forceful toss of his two Dragonballs, Vegeta grit his teeth with irritation. The Ginyu force was just arriving. Kakarot's hesitation might have cost them everything if any of those losers noticed him ditching the Dragonballs. The last thing the Saiyans needed was for Frieza to realize their intentions on Namek, and decide to make a wish for himself.

A band of mocking chuckles emanating from the sky worsened Vegeta's worries about what the Ginyu force may have seen. The only way to deter them now, if they did see the Dragonballs, would be to deflect their interest from the items in the water. The hovering Ginyu force looked down upon the Saiyans and Nameks in the village with ill-intentioned, mocking glares.

Vegeta raised his chin and glared defiantly back at them. Things didn't look good now, but he sure as hell would not let the likes of the Ginyu force look down upon the prince of all Saiyans, no matter how much he felt his chances of survival slipping away.

* * *

There they were. They certainly seemed surprised and unprepared for him and his group. Their power levels were higher than he expected as they stood in the village below him, amongst a cluster of weak Nameks, but that was no matter. The Saiyans disobeyed Lord Frieza, and for that, they would pay. Increased power levels or not, the Saiyans were still no match for the Ginyu force.

Ginyu let out a low chuckle, joining the chorus of his men who were already doing so. Ginyu wasn't too surprised, given Vegeta and Nappa's arrogant nature, that the two of them would be stupid enough to defy their high-powered ruler. Their Saiyan heritage was likely to blame for their stupidity, as even their new addition joined them in their defiance, after Lord Frieza had given that one the benefit of special, individual attention.

"Look what we have here!" Jeice announced with a mocking sneer towards the Saiyans below.

Ginyu smirked as Vegeta bared his teeth in defiance. Ginyu knew that look all too well. It was the look of someone who knew he was likely going to die. After all, Prince Vegeta and Nappa and that other Saiyan, Raditz, had witnessed the power of the Ginyu force on several occasions. Ginyu briefly wondered whatever happened to Raditz, though he could take a gander when Frieza's orders didn't bother to include him.

"Raditz must be dead already." Burter said pensively, causing Ginyu to peer at his companion in silent agreement. Burter huffed in amusement, as Guldo and Recoome did the same.

"Oy!" Jeice called down to the warily staring Saiyans below, "ain't one of you Raditz's brother?"

Ginyu cocked his head and narrowed his eyes observantly at the group below as the new Saiyan stepped forward, the one Ginyu was quite curious about, given that he had such an unusually high power level for a Saiyan.

"Yeah." The new Saiyan answered curtly, as if challenging Jeice's purpose for questioning him.

Usually, Ginyu would balk at any foe that would challenge Jeice like that. But this guy actually had the power level to back up his bravado.

With a knowing smirk and glimmer of amusement in his eyes as he briefly met Ginyu's gaze, the Saiyan added, "I _used_ to be."

"And where have you been all this time, huh?" Recoome butted in with a moronic chuckle. "Hiding under a rock?"

The Saiyan smirked back at Recoome. "Yeah. You could say that."

"Wait." Ginyu stated in abrupt anger, just loud enough for his team to hear him.

This wasn't right at all. They were meeting this Saiyan for the first time, the natives as well. The Ginyu Force needed to make a decent entrance before getting ahead of themselves. The thought of how graceless their first impression already was nearly infuriated him. Recoome, Burter, Jeice and Guldo were all staring at him expectantly, until one by one, they seemed to realize Ginyu's problem.

Ginyu nodded curtly before bellowing his command to his team. "Who are we, Men?"

"The Ginyu Force!" The others responded exuberantly in unison.

Ginyu smiled as he felt relief wash over him. "That's right! Never forget it!" Ginyu yelled excitedly as his team visibly livened in anticipation and the men below stared back at them, likely in awe of the impressive display that was to follow. "Let's show them!"

Ginyu pointed a rigid finger at Guldo, who growled as he revved himself for his well-practiced pose, which he subsequently executed beautifully. Ginyu grinned proudly as Guldo introduced himself and Recoome broke into a dancing, rhythmic pose of his own. When Recoome froze and called his name, Ginyu felt his grin stretch wider. _This_ was the reason he chose these men to join his team, even more so than their impressive power levels. The poses only got better as Jeice and Burter posed in unison. And then it was his turn.

"Captain Ginyu!" He announced proudly as he struck his pose to complete the missing piece of their team composition. With his leg extended to a point, arms reaching high, head tilted back, smile wide and disarming, Ginyu knew he looked good.

"We are…the Ginyu Force!" The team announced altogether.

The alien races looking up at them had to be impressed by how formidable his team appeared. With a knowing smirk, Ginyu relaxed from his pose as the team followed along, looking expectantly upon their audience. They were all rendered speechless. Ginyu knew, as the Saiyans and Nameks stared at them with their mouths agape, the other men were utterly impressed.

Once he was satisfied that all below them had registered the superiority of his team, Ginyu decided it was time to get down to business. "Now. Vegeta. Nappa," Ginyu paused between each address and nod to each Saiyan, "it's your turn." Ginyu crossed his arms haughtily as he smiled down upon the Saiyans. "We haven't been properly introduced to your friends." Ginyu gestured subtly with a lift of his chin to the other Saiyan and the Nameks surrounding them.

"What's the point?" Vegeta countered with a taunting smirk. "You already know who _he_ is," he indicated Goku with a tilt of his head towards the man standing beside him, "and you're going to kill all of _them_ anyways." Vegeta's vindictive smirk stretched wider.

"How do they know Kakarot?" Nappa asked, looking bewildered by Vegeta's accurate assumption.

Ginyu smiled smugly to himself as Recoome widely opened his mouth to reply. "Duh! He's only the guy that was trained by Lord Frieza _himself_. No one gets that kind of attention and huge power level without being talked about."

Ginyu bit his lip pensively as he absorbed the way Vegeta's face went slightly out of joint at that comment. "It _could_ be that," Ginyu mused with a rub of his chin in mock concentration, "or maybe we know of him some other way." Ginyu smiled darkly. "Like how Lord Frieza gave us orders to deliver your pal to him for punishment."

"Deliver to Frieza?" Vegeta repeated as his eyes widened in surprise. His brows knitted tightly together in concentration as he looked at the other, surprised Saiyans, before meeting Ginyu's gaze.

"Don't worry, Vegeta. Lord Frieza didn't forget about you."

Vegeta instantly glared in defiance, which Ginyu found rather amusing, seeing that he hadn't even informed Vegeta of his punishment yet.

"Yep!" Jeice cut in, rather rudely in Ginyu's opinion. "We're going to box both you up neatly and send you to Lord Frieza for crushing. Won't he be pleased?"

"Humph!" Vegeta scoffed as he crossed his arms and straightened to a rigid posture. "I'd like to see you try." Vegeta's eyes narrowed into a challenging glare as Guldo audibly growled with fury beside Ginyu. "Besides, thanks to your big mouths, I now know that Frieza's not coming to Namek, and you can't kill me or Kakarot if you really want to please your master." Vegeta smiled a shark like, toothy grin as Ginyu felt himself go tense at Vegeta's air of victory. "But _we_ can kill _you_."

"Hahaha," Burter and Jeice laughed mockingly as Ginyu chuckled throatily to himself, "now that's funny, Vegeta." Burter commented before leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at Vegeta, " _you_ killing _us_." With a dismissive snort, Burter turned his head away and crossed his arms.

Vegeta growled at Burter's blatant show of disrespect.

"Let me take Vegeta!" Guldo yelled with desperation.

Ginyu frowned disbelievingly down at his smallest, weakest member. He could see right off the bat that Guldo had some personal issue with Vegeta, but his chances of taking the Saiyan prince alone seemed incredibly slim.

"Just let me at him!" Guldo pleaded as he clenched his fists tightly before him.

Recoome patted Guldo on the head consolingly, likely drawing the same conclusion as Ginyu. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Guldo."

"Hey!" Burter interjected with a raise of his finger. "If Guldo really wants to get revenge on Vegeta, remember, there's always that _one_ thing we have planned."

As Burter smiled devilishly at the others, Ginyu grinned to himself in remembrance. Of course! Guldo didn't have to be stronger to do Vegeta harm. There was really no better way to get revenge on someone than doing something demoralizing.

"Right." Ginyu drawled with a wry smile as he crossed his arms tightly and looked calculatedly down upon the group below them.

Nappa and the Nameks were no problem. They were weak and expendable anyways. Goku and Vegeta would have to be approached more delicately, though. They obviously intended to fight, and bringing them back alive might prove difficult. Ginyu found Saiyan stubbornness intolerable.

Stubborn as they were, there was no harm in trying the easy way first. "It really wasn't smart of you to run off to this planet without informing Lord Frieza." Ginyu began in an amicable tone, forcing a friendly smile. "I can't understand what you found so appealing about running off anyways. It's not like you were avoiding your duty." Ginyu shrugged indifferently. "You Saiyans _live_ for the kill."

"Got that right." Vegeta said.

Ginyu dropped his amicable façade at the threat, but ignored Vegeta, knowing it would only make the Saiyan prince angrier. "But there had to be _something_ here."

Ginyu turned his head, curiously searching the wide expanse of land in his altitudinous view. A lot of green, a lot of land, and a lot of peace-loving natives. That was all he could see. Ginyu quirked a brow curiously when he noted those peace-loving natives casting furtive glances towards the water beside them, as they had been doing since the Ginyu Force's arrival. Maybe there was something special about the water on that planet.

Ginyu sighed in defeat. Whatever drew the Saiyans to Namek, he didn't really need to know. His orders were to retrieve Goku and Vegeta, and exterminate everyone else on the planet. That was just what his team would do.

Ginyu focused his gaze on Vegeta and Goku, as the shorter of the pair was uttering commands in a hushed voice that could only complicate things. "You two! Come back to meet Lord Frieza with us and we'll promise not to hurt anyone else here."

Ginyu grinned toothily after stating the outright lie, hoping the Saiyans' stupidity would outweigh their stubbornness. There was no reason to make the job more difficult than it had to be, if the Saiyans were willing to submit.

"…you won't hurt anyone?" Goku asked distrustfully, though as he stepped forward, his eyes widened with hope.

Ginyu smiled to himself, then at his triumphantly smiling team.

Goku glanced back at Vegeta cautiously, who glared at his companion. "He's lying, Kakarot." Vegeta stated flatly, causing Ginyu's smile to fall into a frown of disappointment. "If we go with them, the first thing they'll do is blast everyone else here until there's nothing left."

"How can you be sure?" Goku asked warily, before turning his gaze to scrutinize Ginyu's most honest display of a smile.

"It's the oldest trick in the book!" Nappa said tersely as he stepped towards his conflicted companion. "Of all people, _you_ should know that one well."

Whatever nerve Nappa had hit in the younger Saiyan, he hit it well. Goku gasped in realization before turning to face Ginyu with a hard stare, suddenly appearing more defiant than even Vegeta. Ginyu knew any chances of tricking the Saiyans into cooperation were lost.

"No plans to come along willingly, eh? That's too bad." Ginyu lamented in blatant disappointment.

"Vegeta!" Guldo yelled, "you should have listened to your commander." Guldo smiled smugly at the sight of Vegeta wrinkling his nose in distaste at the reminder of his lesser status. "If you came along with us, we'd have no excuse not to bring you back in one piece." Guldo crossed his arms smugly and smiled widely. " _Now_ ," Guldo shrugged with a mischievous smile, "we'll need an excuse for how long you'll be spending time in the rejuvenation tanks before Lord Frieza can get to you."

"Guldo," Vegeta responded mockingly, "you couldn't lay a finger on me on your _best_ day."

Guldo gaped in disbelief before visibly fuming at Vegeta's insult. Ginyu glared at the sight of one of his men being rattled by Vegeta. He met Guldo's gaze with a permissive nod. Guldo's eyes widened in realization before he smiled, chuckling to himself as his rage subsided.

Guldo turned to face Vegeta with a knowing smile and a teasing inclination of his brow. "Oh _yeah_?"

Ginyu turned to the other members of the Ginyu force, chuckling devilishly at what they knew was about to happen. At the sound of two yells of pain, Ginyu turned back to Guldo to find the frog-like lieutenant a few feet from where he had been before, proudly grasping two furry appendages in his extended fist as he looked down upon the mystified Saiyans. Ginyu knit his brows pensively as he realized there wasn't a third, yet no Saiyan was left with a tail. It was curious to meet a Saiyan lacking a tail. This mission was certainly looking to be amusing, as Goku was the most unusual Saiyan Ginyu had ever met. Ginyu certainly liked the idea of facing someone who could challenge his strength, for a change. The sounds of pain-filled screams filled the air.

Goku turned around to look at the two screaming Saiyans behind him. "What the-?"

"What…what happened?" A Namek uttered in alarm as he stepped towards the Saiyans as if looking to help.

"My tail!" Nappa yelled fiercely, before turning an enraged glare upon Guldo. His eyes reddened with rage and his nostrils flared as he clenched his teeth tightly, while Guldo continued mockingly chuckling as he waved his two furry trophies.

"So it's true!" Vegeta yelled decisively with a quick glance behind him to confirm the absence of his own tail, before he turned to glare at the Ginyu Force above. He growled with the effort of containing his fury. "It's true what they say about that four-eyed freak!"

"What? What do they say?" Goku asked in alarm as he stared wide-eyed at Vegeta and Nappa, before turning to look disbelievingly upon Guldo holding the Saiyan tails.

"Guldo has the ability to freeze time!" Nappa growled loudly, his enraged expression staying just as intense as immediately after the incident. "How dare you!" Nappa yelled to Guldo, his veins protruding from his temples as he bent his knees in preparation to lunge.

"Nappa!" Vegeta and Goku both yelled.

Nappa froze at their commands, but shook his head stubbornly. "No!" Nappa looked pleadingly to Vegeta before baring his teeth furiously again. "I can't let this go! That little mutant has to die!"

"Nappa!" Vegeta yelled again, futilely, as Nappa launched into the air, projecting all his power towards Guldo for an attack, which was blocked before it met its target.

Burter suddenly appeared before Nappa, making the large Saiyan collide painfully into his ki-shielded body.

"Nappa! Calm down! You're going to get yourself killed!" Vegeta scolded with a sneer of disgust as the rage-driven Saiyan gaped in disbelief at his current predicament.

Burter smirked down at Nappa's disbelieving visage before pulling his fist back. "Down, boy." Burter ordered with a tone of amusement before punching the Saiyan square in the face, causing the massive man to careen into the water with a tumultuous splash.

"Nappa!" Goku yelled after his fallen comrade.

The two Saiyans remaining above water shook their heads in disbelief, while Ginyu and his men laughed. "Now" Jeice said, "there's no need for us to worry about any of you getting any ideas about transforming, Mate!"

Nappa emerged at the surface, coughing up water as he clung to the shoreline.

"That just wouldn't be very fair in a fight." Ginyu chortled in amusement as the rest of the Ginyu force laughed again.

Vegeta and Goku, and the enraged, helpless Nameks, all glared up at the powerful team with frustration.

"You call freezing time _fair_?" Goku countered incredulously, glaring at Guldo.

"Everything's fair in battle." Vegeta stubbornly proclaimed.

"I wouldn't talk so tough, Vegeta. You don't even have a tail anymore." Guldo replied petulantly as he carelessly tossed the Saiyans' coveted appendages aside to flail through the air. "I don't know if you're even really a true Saiyan if you can't transform into the Giant Ape that you _truly_ are."

"I don't need it." Vegeta said coldly. "As for you, Guldo," he peered hatefully at the Ginyu force's gloating team member, "you'll always be a sniveling, four-eyed freak. No one can change that."

As Guldo growled furiously and moved as if to launch himself at Vegeta, Ginyu immediately moved to clasp a restrictive hand over the smaller alien's shoulder. Ginyu didn't need anyone from his group making the same sloppy mistake Nappa had just made. The Ginyu force always operated in style. Fortunately, Guldo froze obediently at the warning touch.

"Now that we know you've chosen the hard way," Ginyu stated with a cracking of his knuckles before he smiled sinisterly at Vegeta and Goku, "it's time we get down to business. We don't want to keep Lord Frieza waiting for too long."

"No." Vegeta agreed with a wry smile as Goku smirked and met Vegeta's gaze.

Nappa climbed to shore, rubbing his bruised cheek before he readied himself in a fighting stance aside the other Saiyans.

"Keeping Frieza waiting has never been your strong suit, has it, Ginyu?" Vegeta chuckled.

Ginyu felt his face heat with anger at Vegeta's disrespectful attitude. He clenched his fists and glared warningly at the smaller man, who looked like a peon as he stood on the ground below, daring the Ginyu Force to make him suffer.

"You watch who you're talking to, Vegeta!" Ginyu responded with a lack of control and style that had him angered even more. He forced himself to take a deep breath and regain his composure. "No one makes a fool of the Ginyu Force. You and all your friends down there are about to learn what the Ginyu Force is really made of!"

Ginyu chuckled victoriously as he noted the alarmed looks on the faces of all the men down below. They _should_ have been scared. No one messed with the Ginyu Force, and once those two Saiyans were delivered to Lord Frieza, they'd be sorry they _hadn't_ been killed by the Ginyu Force like all their allies would be. Messing with Frieza was plain suicidal, and the Saiyan race was quickly, finally approaching its extinction.


	18. Not Today

It wasn't making any sense. Saiyans may have been known across the universe for their power in battle _and_ bull-headed stupidity, but he knew that Vegeta had to be behind the idea of going rogue, and Vegeta certainly was capable of being cleverer than _this_. This planet wasn't in a strategic location of any sort, and judging by the readings on his scouter, the planet itself was garbage. Absolute garbage.

He narrowed his eyes at the readings on his scouter one last time. "Why Namek?" He asked his jade-skinned companion. He took a firsthand look around the panorama of green surrounding him, before looking expectantly towards his equally-observant companion, and their pair of recently landed pods behind him.

Zarbon shrugged dismissively. "Who knows?" He smiled smugly at something he no doubt found amusing, as his subsequent chuckle confirmed as much to Dodoria. "Maybe monkeys have a thing for green."

"If that was true," Dodoria retorted with a taunting smile, "they'd actually like _you_ , Zarbon."

Dodoria laughed heartily at Zarbon's offended expression before redirecting his attention to more serious matters. They needed to find those Saiyans, and they needed to bring them back to Frieza, or it would be their asses. However, there was a huge obstacle in the way. The Ginyu Force was on Namek, already with the Saiyans. If Zarbon and Dodoria were to show up and attempt to take the Saiyans from them, well their efforts would be laughable.

And the Ginyu Force would laugh, alright. Dodoria wasn't going to have any of that today. Besides, Goku was too powerful to confront directly. No, if he and Zarbon had any chances of success on this mission, they'd have to use their heads.

"What do you say we get acquainted with some locals while the Ginyu Force gets started?" Zarbon suggested as he aptly reached a finger to click against his scouter in search of different power levels than the ones he had already been reading.

Dodoria smiled evilly in agreement with Zarbon's suggestion. They could use a good warmup, seeing that things were going to get complicated, to say the least, before they could leave Namek. Dodoria clicked on his own scouter, spanning the area for weaker life forms that would suggest the presence of Namekians. Zarbon was obviously already busy doing the same.

"How about the village in that direction?" Dodoria suggested, pointing towards the grouping of weak power levels that seemed closest to their current location.

Zarbon followed his gaze, checking the information in his own scouter as well. "The highest power level there is 1500." Zarbon surmised with a smug smile. "And it's well out of the way from the fight that is about to happen between the Ginyu Force and the Saiyans."

"You really think there's even going to _be_ a fight?" Dodoria suggested cynically, chuckling to cover his disbelief in his own criticism. He knew there would be a fight, and Goku, for sure, would put up a good one against most of the Ginyu Force.

"You know as well as I do that those monkeys are too dumb and proud to realize when they have no chance at winning. They'll fight, but the Ginyu Force will destroy them." Zarbon said dismissively.

He then raised his chin and narrowed his eyes towards the horizon in the direction of the village attracting his and Dodoria's attention. Dodoria snorted in agreement. If those Saiyans didn't have the remarkable ability to increase their power levels, and until recently, Frieza's favoritism, they would have never survived as long as they did. Their brashness should have gotten them killed long ago. Dodoria sighed before the beeping of activity in his scouter once again drew his attention to the nearby Namekian village.

"Alright, Zarbon. Let's go meet some locals," Dodoria conceded patiently, "and then we'll have to find a way out of our problem with Lord Frieza _and_ the Ginyu Force standing in our way from correcting that problem."

Dodoria narrowed his gaze pointedly at his companion, who visibly gulped in response to Dodoria's painful reminder of their dire situation. With an affirmative nod, Zarbon shot into the sky, Dodoria following right behind him to the nearest Nameks as he frowned deeply in thought.

After all, Ginyu Force and Namekians aside, Dodoria and Zarbon both knew that if they were to return to Frieza without delivering the Saiyans themselves, they were as good as dead. Nothing in this universe trumped preserving your own life, and Dodoria knew he had to do whatever it would take to get back in Frieza's good graces. The strange thing was, he regretted the task before him-almost _appreciated_ the fact that it seemed nearly impossible at the moment. Because of all the soldiers Dodoria met since serving in Frieza's empire, Goku was actually the one soldier he didn't want to see Lord Frieza torture and kill. Gathering the nerve to go through with the plan of returning the Saiyans to Frieza could prove to be even more difficult than finding a possible way to do it.

* * *

Things weren't looking so good at the moment. The Ginyu Force was poised to attack at any second, the innocent Nameks in the village were exposed and vulnerable on what was soon to become a battlefield, and Nappa and Vegeta both seemed furious and desperate enough to do something incredibly destructive after having their tails removed.

And yet...Goku couldn't help slightly smiling as his eyes met Captain Ginyu's, recognizing the challenging glint of anticipation in the impressively powerful warrior's eye. In spite of the danger, Goku was excited. It was too bad he hadn't met Captain Ginyu earlier, under different circumstances. Goku could tell that he could've been a great sparring partner, more challenging than others, yet less tortuous than Frieza. However, as it was, Ginyu clearly intended to kill everyone but he and Vegeta, and Goku wasn't about to allow that to happen.

"Well?" With a taunting smile, hands on his hips and an arrogant attitude, Goku finally broke the long, tense silence that had permeated the atmosphere after Captain Ginyu's ominous threat of attack.

As much as the anticipation was building his excitement, Goku was getting impatient for someone to make the first move already. He knew Ginyu wasn't likely to be the first to attack, not when he had men beneath him who thought they could take down the Saiyans. If Goku wasn't suppressing his power level, they would probably think differently. But as it was, they all looked pretty confident, even the stumpy little toad guy who had taken off Nappa and Vegeta's tails. He was the weakest of them, and had to know it, yet he still looked sure of himself. Vegeta wasn't kidding when he said Guldo couldn't touch him. Not at _that_ power level, not after all the training the Saiyans had been doing on their latest missions.

Goku smirked as he pointedly met Ginyu's gaze again and continued addressing the captain, "I thought you were going to show us what the Ginyu force was made of."

"Why, you!" Guldo growled hostilely as he shook a fist at Goku, before Ginyu could respond with anything more than a glare.

Vegeta released a curt chuckle of amusement, likely at the little guy's expense, judging by the furious growl that rumbled from Guldo again as he glared at Vegeta. "You Saiyans are in no position to mock the Ginyu force!"

"That's right!" Jeice agreed indignantly as the rest of the team hovering above them glared down at the Saiyans and Nameks on the ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, Goku caught a look on Vegeta's face for only a split second, but he knew what he saw in that look. It was fear. If Vegeta looked scared, this had to be worse than Goku thought. He cautiously braced himself in a defensive stance after noting that look, which Goku noted Vegeta astutely observing before the prince mirrored his stance. Only Nappa remained off guard, as he was still too heated over his latest injury and the loss of his tail to focus like the other Saiyans and see the bigger picture of what they were up against.

"You want to see what the Ginyu force is made of?" Jeice added haughtily as he raised an open palm in the air. "Try this on for size!"

His palm lit with a glowing ball of ki that released a tremendous surge of energy, before it came rocketing down towards the Saiyans and the Namekian village. Goku braced himself in preparation for absorbing the attack, which would also prevent it from hitting anyone else, but to his shock, two figures yelled defiantly and shot into the sky ahead of him, directly into the blast.

"No!" Goku yelled.

It was too late, as the two warrior Namekians who had accompanied Goku from Guru's place boldly intercepted the blast together with forceful ki blasts of their own, only for their blasts to be completely absorbed by Jeice's much more powerful blast, before the Namekian Warriors were swallowed by the blast as well. Their abbreviated screams of pain preceded their quick deaths, causing Goku to grit his teeth furiously at the frowning alien above him.

"Just two Nameks? That's it?" Burter complained to his teammate with a frown of blatant disappointment.

"They got in the way!" Jeice complained defensively.

"Yeah, Jeice. Come on." Recoome interjected with a playful chuckle before he raised his hand in a similar manner to the way Jeice had done it, " _this_ will show them what the Ginyu force is all about."

Recoome laughed as he threw the ki towards the shocked population of defenseless Namekian villagers, young and old, who could only stare back in terror at the incoming blast. Two children amongst the group fearfully trembled and clung to the leg of an elderly Namek as the blast was released. Goku couldn't help being reminded of his own scared four-year-old son, clinging to Goku as he had done when Raditz arrived and threatened them on Earth.

Enraged by the painful reminder of Gohan's death, Goku growled irately at the sick form of amusement before springing in front of the villagers in a flash. He didn't care if the blast injured him at that point, as long as he could prevent it from harming those children. Given the limited time available before the blast would hit, Goku elevated his ki enough to potentially accept the blast without injury, which was very difficult to gauge, given that he hadn't witnessed the other fighter's ability enough yet to predict just how much power went into that blast.

As Goku expected, the blast was painful as he took the impact head-on in the chest, but it was nothing that would stop him from further fighting. When the smoke cleared, Goku checked behind him, relieved to see the teary-eyed Namekian boys staring back at him in shock. The elder smiled appreciatively before Goku turned to face Recoome again, knowing that the Nameks were still far from safe.

"Hey!" Recoome yelled indignantly when the dust settled and he sighted the state of the area below him. "I'm trying to give a demonstration here!" He pouted with his bottom lip jutted out before he glared at Goku and the Nameks. "you people keep getting in our way!"

"Who cares about your stupid demonstrations?" Goku yelled impatiently.

"Kakarot's right!" Vegeta yelled from his unadulterated position, where Goku had been standing before he rushed to save the Nameks, which was now far from Goku. "You want to fight? Fight us already!"

Vegeta bared his teeth at the Ginyu force as Recoome came back with some ridiculous retort, but Goku became distracted from that conversation as something pulled at his leg. He raised his brows in surprise with a questioning hum before looking down to see one of the Namek boys he had just saved, shyly smiling up at him and pulling on the elastic blue material of his uniform pants.

"Hm?" Goku hummed with a frown before glancing at the other boy and the elder behind him. "What is it, Little guy?" He whispered with a tilt of his head.

"I think…" the boy meekly whispered before warily glancing at the elder for his approving nod, which allowed the boy to continue, "I think you don't want to hurt us, and we can trust you."

The boy gave a meaningful nod towards the gathering of Namekian warriors a few feet away, who were watching their conversation carefully. Some of them gave Goku a smile or a nod, which gave Goku the feeling the Namekians held no hostility towards him any longer.

Goku frowned down at the boy. Given his recent occupation, that trust wasn't something Goku felt he deserved. Yet, he didn't _want_ to hurt them. He knew he would prevent any harm from coming to that boy now, after seeing the striking similarities with his own murdered son. Goku finally gave the boy a smile and curt nod of agreement.

"Then…there's something I can do to help." The boy offered timidly as he twiddled his thumbs.

Goku knit his brows in confusion. He couldn't imagine what a little boy could offer in the midst of a serious battle. But, he'd seen stranger things, and there was a time when he was able to help people where adults had their doubts about him.

So Goku shrugged in nonchalant agreement. "Okay. What's your name?" Goku asked, wanting to kneel down at the boy's level, but still painfully aware of the dangerous enemies watching them. Not wanting to draw any attention to the boy, Goku settled for simply smiling down at him again.

"Dende. That's my brother, Cargot, and Elder Moori." Dende explained with a small smile as he nodded at the elder and the other boy.

Goku briefly smiled at them both before meeting Dende's gaze again with a serious frown. There was no more time for pleasantries. If the boy had something important to say, Goku had to hear it quickly, or move on with his fight.

The boy grunted with a nod and a serious frown as he took in Goku's changed demeanor. "First, if you can come with me to Guru-"

"Guru?" Goku interrupted dubiously, before snorting dismissively and refocusing his attention on the ensuing argument between Vegeta and the Ginyu Force. "I already saw Guru."

Dende shook his head in disagreement before continuing, "If you come with me, Guru can help you win. You don't need to lose your life fighting these monsters!" Dende explained eagerly.

Goku looked down to meet the boy's gaze with an assured smile. "Don't worry, Kid. I won't." Goku stated confidently before crossing his arms and raising his chin towards the sky to focus on Captain Ginyu again.

The monstrous-looking alien was already, as Goku expected, staring down at him when Goku looked up. The power radiating from Ginyu's presence was what really kept drawing Goku's attention to him. Goku suspected, though the guy was wearing a scouter like all of Frieza's men did, that Captain Ginyu could sense Goku's suppressed power as well. Because the look in Captain Ginyu's eyes told Goku that he was just as eager as Goku to fight.

"You can't be serious!" Dende exclaimed in shock as he slowly drew away from Goku.

Goku glanced only momentarily at the hoard of shocked Nameks standing behind him, before smiling and glaring challengingly at Ginyu again. "I _am_ serious."

"We should bring Nail back with us from Guru's! He can help!" Elder Moori desperately rasped as Dende bumped against the elder's leg.

Moori clasped tightly and protectively to the young child as Vegeta's bristling argument with the Ginyu Force was finally coming to an end. Goku could see that Guldo looked eager to begin the attack on Vegeta and Nappa.

"Then go." Goku commanded under his breath to the Nameks without bothering to turn and face them this time. "You should all get out of here now, before the fighting starts." Goku narrowed his eyes perceptively at Guldo, who was definitely preparing to move, though Vegeta and Nappa were too busy insulting Recoome to notice.

"Come with us, please!" Dende pleaded as Cargot echoed his cry. "Guru can-"

"Go now!" Goku ordered them harshly but quietly, his fists balled tightly by his sides as he reeled in his frustration. He knew once the battle began, he would be the only one considerate enough to preserve the lives of the children.

They needed to leave right away. Besides, Goku didn't care what Guru had to offer. He was going to fight these Ginyu soldiers with his own power, needing help from no one. No one but his team, of course. Vegeta and Nappa were already prepared to engage in battle, and Goku knew by now there was no trying to pull a Saiyan away from a fight. Their need to stay and fight was understandable, but the Nameks had to go, and to Goku's relief, they finally were leaving after hearing the intolerant tone of his last command.

Jeice and Burter noted the fleeing Nameks and attempted to fire at them, but Goku was already prepared for that and zoomed into the space between to deflect and block each and every one of those attacks with his own ki blasts as the Nameks left safely. He smirked triumphantly at Jeice and Burter when the Nameks safely made it out of firing range.

"Hey!" Jeice exclaimed indignantly as his eyes bulged in shock at what Goku had just done. "Did you see that, Captain?" Jeice asked, looking back to meet Captain Ginyu's observant, stoic gaze as Burter glared angrily at Goku. "How did he just do that? I thought this guy was a Saiyan!"

"He is, but," Ginyu rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes at Goku, "he's unlike any Saiyan I've ever met before. Forget about the Nameks."

Burter was crouching in preparation to charge after them. Ginyu met Burter's surprised gaze with a wide smile.

Then Ginyu laughed loudly and threw his head back. "Taking this guy down should be _fun_." Ginyu smiled deviously after his laughing subsided.

"While I fight Ginyu," Goku began to address his comrades without his gaze ever leaving the piercing stare of the confident captain, "you two can take the rest of them as you like." Goku glared with determination at Ginyu and ignored Vegeta's contemptuous scoff at his order.

Ginyu was the most powerful of the bunch, so he was Goku's prime target. The others were powerful as well, but Goku assumed that Vegeta and Nappa could fare well if they worked together. Maybe it wasn't the most well-formed plan of attack, maybe Goku was being a little selfish. But after all those months of training and purges, Goku was feeling overdue for a good, challenging fight with a powerful opponent. Now he knew he was going to get it, and nothing, not even the preservation of his own life or his mission to collect the Dragonballs, was more important.

As his smile widened and Ginyu's expression mirrored his own, Goku finally sprang at his opponent. Vegeta and Nappa yelled as the planet rumbled with their rising power, starting the battles between them and the other Ginyu force members. This was only to be the beginning of the struggle on Namek. The Ginyu force had might, but the Saiyans had pride, determination, and vengeance on their side. They wouldn't be going down easily, _if_ at all.

* * *

The shaking ground at their feet and insistent beeping in their ears were dead giveaways for what was starting elsewhere on the planet. As an agonized groan sounded beside him, Zarbon effortlessly shot his fist forward one last time to finally render the annoying local unconscious, and therefore silent. He looked to Dodoria, who frowned back at Zarbon knowingly.

Dodoria raised his brow with intrigue."How long do you think it'll last?"

Zarbon frowned pensively in the direction of the fight that was wreaking havoc on his scouter readings. Trying to make any sense of those rapidly flashing numbers and symbols was a joke in the midst of the crazy fluctuations of massive power levels. Trying to guess, well...in all honesty, Zarbon was surprised that the Saiyans weren't already defeated at this point. He could only answer Dodoria's question with an indifferent shrug.

No matter how long it took, the Saiyans would be taken care of by the Ginyu force for sure. Zarbon's concern now wasn't about the Saiyans, but about himself. He and Dodoria would never be able to return to their positions of power by Frieza's side without finding some way to appease their lord and ruler for their earlier blunder that brought them all to this planet in the first place.

Zarbon looked down at the green-hued bodies of the young and old, littering the ground from his and Dodoria's handiwork, as he knitted his brows tightly in concentration. Some solution had to present itself. There was no way he was returning to Lord Frieza in their current state. Zarbon lifted his gaze to lock eyes with Dodoria, but was surprised to see the other soldier walking into one of the Namekian dwellings. He followed Dodoria with his eyes as that pink, fatty blob made his way out of that home, only to venture into the next vacant Namekian home.

"Dodoria, what are you doing?" Zarbon huffed as he brushed a loose strand of hair from his eyes before crossing his arms and glaring at his busy companion's back.

"There has to be _something_ we can do for Lord Frieza." Dodoria mused aloud, the strain in his voice evident.

Zarbon frowned deeply in understanding. He didn't know what Dodoria thought he might find in one of those homes, but he did understand the helpless feeling that Dodoria was experiencing at the moment. "You don't think the Ginyu force would be willing to hand the Saiyans over to us, do you?" Zarbon asked cynically.

A part of him did honestly hope that maybe the Ginyu force would consider to agreeing to such a thing. Dodoria's scowl informed Zarbon that the other man realized just how unlikely that was as well.

Dodoria shook his head with a harsh sigh before darting into another home, this time quickly emerging again with a large object in hand and perturbed expression on his face. "Zarbon, does this look familiar to you at all?"

Dodoria lifted his prize with both hands, which was a large, shiny orange ball with a grouping of stars in it. Zarbon tilted his head as he stepped forward, carefully observing Dodoria's find. Something about that item did ring a bell, though Zarbon wasn't sure why. He placed a finger to his lip as he continued to consider it, until Dodoria gasped with his eyes widening in realization.

Then Dodoria smiled widely, shining his teeth at Zarbon as he lowered the ball against his chest. "I just recalled an old story, Zarbon. One that I see now must be true." Dodoria smiled widely as he gazed down at his distorted reflection in the orange ball. "It all makes sense now. The Saiyans aren't as stupid as they look."

Dodoria cackled triumphantly as Zarbon blinked back at him in confusion. Zarbon couldn't fathom what that ball had to do with the Saiyans' suicidal desertion of Lord Frieza's forces, or why Dodoria was so happy about the pretty trinket.

Dodoria met Zarbon's gaze, clearly registering Zarbon's lack of understanding as his brows lowered into a serious stare of determination. "I think I just found our ticket back to Frieza's good graces, no Saiyan carcasses required."


	19. Last Legs

Vegeta felt the power radiating through his body after powering up to prepare to face the Ginyu force. Goku was already engaged in a battle of speed and strength with Ginyu, though Vegeta knew the other Saiyan was nowhere near his full power. Vegeta was not naive enough to think that the fight against the Ginyu Force wouldn't be a challenge for them, but he did know that his power level felt massive in comparison to previous battles. He would never admit it, but training with Kakarot and Nappa on their purge planets had been a good idea. A very good idea.

Vegeta smirked cruelly as he focused his gaze on Guldo glaring down at him. He would begin demonstrating his increased power to the Ginyu force by effortlessly taking down the weakest first.

"Hey, fish face!" Vegeta called abrasively as he pulled his elbow back and secretively began forming a large ball of ki in his hand.

Guldo opened his mouth to retort to the insult as Vegeta thrust his hand forward and upward, releasing the ki directly towards the gawking, wide-eyed freak. The blast hit him before he had a chance to utter whatever his last words were going to be. Vegeta chuckled maliciously as the irritating little twerp evaporated into nothing before his eyes.

"Nice work, Vegeta." Nappa enthusiastically commented as the Ginyu force, aside from Ginyu who was too involved with his battle with Goku to notice, gawked at Guldo's disappearance disbelievingly.

Then they turned their sights on Vegeta, glaring down at him as Nappa spoke again. "I only wish I had been the one to take that little bastard down. He took _my_ tail, too, you know."

"Sorry, Nappa." Vegeta apologized disinterestedly as he watched the three remaining Ginyu force members hovering above them cry out in shock and press their fingers into their rapidly flashing scouters. "Guldo and I had history beyond that. I'll try to remember to let you have some fun next time."

Vegeta carefully scrutinized the reactions the Ginyu members were displaying from their readings. He would have been interested to know what numbers they were seeing. He knew his power increased, but he was just figuring out how much now that he had a chance to test it in a real battle. Unfortunately, if it proved not to be as high as he hoped, the proof of that would be in his defeat at the hands of the Ginyu force, and ultimately, his death at the hands of Frieza.

"Yeah." Nappa laughed humorlessly as the Ginyu force slowly lowered themselves to the ground before them. "If there's ever going to _be_ a next time."

"Recoome is now the weakest of their team." Vegeta informed Nappa in a low voice as the three idle remaining members of the Ginyu force swaggered towards them, looking much too cocky for Vegeta's liking. "You take him; I'll deal with the other two."

"But, Vegeta!" Nappa exclaimed in shock as his eyes widened and anxiously darted between the Ginyu members and Vegeta. "You can't take on _two_ of those guys! That's crazy!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at his intended opponents with frustration. He knew his chances against one might be good, but in regards to two, Nappa was right. However, the Ginyu force wouldn't fight fair once they realized how much more powerful the Saiyans had become. He had no other options.

"Never mind that! Listen, Nappa! Recoome is strong, but he's a moron!" Vegeta hissed hurriedly as Recoome chuckled at the mention of his name, now that the Ginyu force was within hearing range.

"Aw, hear that guys?" Recoome gloated to his teammates in mock fondness. "Vegeta's talking about me!"

"You're going to pay for killing Guldo, Mate!" Jeice added indignantly, pointing an accusing finger at Vegeta.

"Aw." Vegeta mockingly pouted, finding glee in his successful kill. "Are you going to miss that little mutant?"

As Burter callously retorted with some complaint about their lousy poses, Vegeta took the opportunity to continue advising Nappa. "Use your head when you fight him, Nappa." Vegeta narrowed his eyes again at Jeice, who he already set his sights on as his first opponent as Nappa grunted in understanding. "You do that, you might live."

"Yeah." Nappa chuckled with a malicious smirk. "Let's kick some Ginyu force ass, Vegeta!" Nappa exclaimed bravely.

Recoome and Burter shook their heads at his exclamation reprovingly. "You're an idiot, Nappa." Burter hissed as he crossed his arms to stand aside while Jeice crouched to attack. "And now your stupidity is going to get you killed. Right, Recoome?" Burter smirked at the red-headed warrior, who smiled widely at Nappa in gloating anticipation.

"Right." Recoome laughed as he punched a fist into his open palm. "I'm going to crush you like a bug, Nappa."

As Nappa growled defiantly back at Recoome, Vegeta took a moment to frown deeply at his longtime companion. Nappa was prepared to fight, prepared to die if it came to that, as all Saiyan warriors should be. But Vegeta realized that as much as Nappa increased his strength over the past months, he was no match for Recoome. It would take a miracle to save Nappa, though Vegeta was more concerned about himself.

He glared stubbornly at Jeice as the red-skinned mutant cracked his knuckles intimidatingly and prepared to step forward. Vegeta casted a fleeting glance at Burter also, who was standing aside, yet looking alert and ready to join in if it came to that. It would take some amazing strategizing to take two Ginyu force members down without Kakarot's assistance, on which he knew by now he couldn't count. Vegeta assumed that Goku was fighting a losing battle with Captain Ginyu already, as he was being knocked down repeatedly and acting utterly impressed with his smug foe.

"Here we go, Vegeta!" Jeice exclaimed as he pulled his elbows back and smiled evilly at the tense prince.

Recoome growled and seemed to disappear, momentarily diverting Vegeta's attention just long enough for him to lose sight of Jeice, who was suddenly behind Vegeta, wrapping his arms around the prince in a painful arm lock. Vegeta growled with frustration at his own mistake and Jeice's underhanded approach, struggling to free himself as Jeice laughed condescendingly in his ear.

"Looks like I've got him!" Jeice called to Burter, who smiled approvingly towards Vegeta and Jeice. "Think we can report to the home planet and collect our reward from Lord Frieza now?"

"Just hold him there a little longer." Burter replied as he watched the explosive fight happening between Ginyu and Goku, then refocused his attention on the beating Nappa was already receiving from Recoome with a smile. "Once Captain Ginyu and Recoome are done, we can go."

Vegeta growled with frustration as he continued to struggle, noting he was making some headway, though escaping the hold was proving impossible.

Jeice grunted with exertion and tightened his hold on Vegeta. "He's really getting difficult to hold over here, Burter!"

"If you think you'll be able to hold me here much longer, you've got another thing coming!" Vegeta yelled threateningly to the man behind him, as his eyes mischievously settled on the blue-skinned reptilian man standing in the distance. "You want to take me, you'll have to do better than this!"

Vegeta struggled to raise his power even higher, giving his foes the illusion that he actually thought he would escape. Vegeta chuckled through his teeth as Burter narrowed his eyes at Vegeta and raised his palm.

"Fine, Vegeta." Burter growled with irritation. "Maybe this'll shut you up!"

Burter formed a ball of ki in his hand before effortlessly launching it towards the trapped Saiyan. Vegeta suddenly stopped struggling with Jeice as he intently watched the rapidly approaching attack. When it reached the point he had been waiting for, Vegeta suddenly turned with all his might, catching Jeice off-guard as he placed his captor right in line with Burter's attack.

"Aaahh!" Jeice screamed in pain as the blast collided with his back and Vegeta was finally released.

Vegeta laughed at Burter's astounded, gaping reaction as Jeice continued writhing in agony with his destroyed back plate still smoking from the destructive ki blast.

"Vegeta, you bastard!" Burter growled furiously, clenching a fist in front of his face and baring his teeth.

Burter's eyes were suddenly diverted to the fight in the distance, where Nappa and Recoome were fighting. Vegeta noted that Ginyu and Goku's fight seemed to have halted as well, as that pair were already intently watching Recoome and Nappa. Once Vegeta followed their gazes, he knew exactly why. Nappa was barely clinging to life and Recoome was moving in for the kill. Recoome powered up with the air swirling around him from the intensity of his rising power.

"Nappa!" Goku called in alarm.

Nappa struggled to crawl away from Recoome, beaten and bloodied as he desperately extended a hand towards Goku, as if Goku could actually help him from his distant position in the sky. Vegeta sneered angrily at the spectacle. The worst part of what he was witnessing was seeing his comrade, the only other elite Saiyans left, pathetically groveling to a third class reject Saiyan. If Nappa was going down like that, he _deserved_ to die.

"Vegetaaaa!" Nappa screamed as his terror-filled eyes desperately sought the prince in his peripheral vision, while Recoome released his finishing blast, decimating the entire area surrounding him with a strained yell and a final surge of power.

"Nappa, no!" Goku cried out as he finally moved to lunge towards his fallen comrade, though Ginyu moved just as fast to block his path.

Vegeta growled with frustration at seeing Nappa destroyed. His reluctant feelings surfaced _after_ realizing Nappa was gone, and he was definitely not coming back. Vegeta knew that he and Kakarot would be following in Nappa's footsteps soon, at the hands of Frieza, which would be a much worse fate. If only they had finished collecting those Dragonballs and made his wish before the Ginyu force arrived, Vegeta could have a chance to survive.

"That was too easy." Recoome bragged before laughing as the dust settled around him and Vegeta could see his smug, stupid face. "You Saiyans aren't nearly as tough as you like to think you are."

Recoome dismissive comment vexed Vegeta deeply as Recoome brushed himself off in an attempt to remove the heavy amount of dust that had settled on him after that blast. This Ginyu force could kill Nappa, possibly defeat Vegeta, take him unwillingly to Frieza, but they sure as hell weren't getting away with making a mockery of the Saiyan race. With Jeice and Burter distracted, Vegeta saw an opportunity to show that big mouthed idiot just how tough Saiyans were.

Vegeta launched himself full force at Recoome, smashing his fist into his gawking mouth before Recoome had a chance to retaliate. As Recoome went careening into a nearby rock formation from the force of that punch, Ginyu attacked Goku again, knocking his fist into Goku's head before Goku returned his attention to his own fight.

Vegeta bared his teeth furiously at that opportunistic freak's face when their eyes briefly met, before propelling himself after Recoome again. Recoome jumped to his feet and raised an arm fast enough to block Vegeta's incoming attack, but Vegeta quickly followed his blocked punch with a second, lower attack with the other arm. Recoome doubled over as Vegeta struck his gut, spit and blood flying from his mouth after the impact.

Vegeta smiled evilly, baring his teeth at his temporarily incapacitated opponent as he raised his arms above his head for his next attack. He brought both fists down over the back of Recoome's head, smashing his much larger, gasping opponent deeply into a newly-created Recoome-sized crater in the ground. Without a second of hesitation, knowing this might be the only chance he had against Recoome, Vegeta blasted a flurry of ki attacks into Recoome's crater, making sure to decimate whatever might still be left of him. He gazed briefly towards Ginyu and Goku, irritated to find that Goku was still down after that last attack, and Ginyu seemed assured and confident as he patiently stared and waited for Goku to emerge. Cautiously, Vegeta let his eyes slide to the side to view Jeice and Burter again. The two of them were transfixed on Recoome's crater as their scouter lenses flashed rapidly with changing symbols. They looked like they really expected him to get up from that. Vegeta laughed at how ridiculous that thought was.

"He's dead. Maybe he should've thought twice before he insulted the Saiyans." Vegeta taunted his disbelieving enemies as they exchanged an alarmed look.

"No way!"

"Recoome can't be dead!" Burter denied as he reached a finger to his scouter again, clicking rapidly as if the reading would suddenly change.

"Go ahead. Check your scouters." Vegeta said gloatingly with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Burter and Jeice's faces scrunched in concentration as they deciphered the digits flashing across the lenses of their beeping scouters.

Then Burter's brows perked as a subtle smile crossed his face, and then Jeice went through the same change in expression. Vegeta frowned deeply as he tried to understand the reason for their smiling, until the sound of shifting rubble drew his attention back to the crater where he'd left Recoome.

Vegeta gasped in utter disbelief as he sighted movement there, where a hand finally emerged from the broken soil. "It can't be!"

"Nice try, Vegeta." Burter said condescendingly as Recoome emerged fully, looking badly damaged from Vegeta's attacks, but still smiling, until his legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed into an unconscious heap. Burter raised his brows in surprise before shrugging at Vegeta. "You _almost_ got him."

"Think Recoome's going to be alright?" Jeice asked Burter with more curiosity than concern.

Burter frowned. "He should be fine once we get him to a rejuvenation tank." With that, Burter glanced expectantly at Captain Ginyu, who had just pummeled Goku into the ground again.

Jeice followed Burter's gaze before calling to Captain Ginyu. "Captain, how's it going over there?"

"I'm about finished here." Ginyu gloated as Vegeta grit his teeth angrily at everything he was witnessing.

Nappa was dead, Recoome surprisingly survived that attack, which Vegeta was sure should have put him down, and it was apparent that the most powerful man on his team had even been defeated at the hands of Ginyu. "Why don't you two wrap it up already?" Ginyu added with an indicative nod in Vegeta's direction.

"Right, Captain!" Jeice responded dutifully. "I don't think Recoome can wait too long, either. We'd better get him back home soon."

"Alright, Vegeta." Burter said immediately after Jeice stopped speaking, showing no concern for his fallen teammate. "You heard the man. Let's go."

Vegeta sneered at Burter in defiance as he braced himself in a defensive stance. In his peripheral vision, Vegeta caught sight of Ginyu flying down to retrieve Goku from the rock he had most recently been thrown into. When Vegeta saw Goku hanging slack by his ankle from Ginyu's careless grasp, Vegeta's jaw tightened. Things weren't looking good.

* * *

"This is terrible." He wheezed loudly before the anxiety this whole situation was causing him made his chest tighten painfully. He could only shake his head and frown in resignation as his child looked at him with concern.

"What is it, Guru?"

"My children...so many dead." Guru shook his head solemnly as his brows furrowed with grief. "More are still being attacked at this very moment, Nail."

"What?!" Nail uttered in alarm before turning his head in search of sensing the happenings himself. "But how? The foreigners are all busy fighting each other right now." He breathed as his brows lowered into a glare and Guru sensed that Nail could feel it as well.

"More have come to our planet." Guru said knowingly. "I'm afraid they seek the Dragonballs as well…and they are just as cruel and brutal as the others."

"Guru..." Nail began, clearly distressed as he stepped beside Guru, before both of them were deterred from their conversation by the sensation of an approaching group.

"My children." Guru sighed in relief as Nail headed down to greet them.

"I'll bring them to you, Guru." Nail promised as he quickly moved to the platform to descend. Guru hummed in agreement as Nail disappeared from his sight. He was sure his children had plenty to tell him, though he knew there would be no time for all that.

Guru winced as he sensed yet another life force dissipating in the distance, another child of his being taken from him. He was nearing death already at his old age, but this catastrophe was drawing his lifespan to a close sooner than expected. Perhaps at this rate, no one would be making a wish with the Dragonballs. Guru hoped it didn't turn out that way. For he sensed that the only way Namek could be saved now would be if the Dragonballs were used for the good of Namek.

"Guru! Guru!"

"Guru!"

The excitable crowd emerged on the platform and hurried their way towards his large chair, led by Nail and two young, bright, promising children who ran ahead of the crowd of elders and warriors.

"The Saiyans!" Dende exclaimed before being interrupted by his young brother.

"They're fighting those mutants!"

"And one of them saved us! He helped us get away, Guru!"

"Ah." Guru nodded in understanding. "Goku. I'm afraid he is the only ally we have right now, and I sense that he is in danger."

"Oh, no!" Dende and Cargot exclaimed as they clung to one another in a comforting gesture.

"Then we will return to fight by his side." A warrior bravely proclaimed.

Guru slowly shook his head in disagreement. Guru knew that the only possible result of his children joining the fight would be more senseless deaths. "No. That is useless, but there is something else we can do to help."

"What is it, Guru?" Nail asked with sternness and reverence as he gently brushed aside the other warriors to stand closest to Guru.

"I'm afraid Namek's only hope now...is the Dragonballs." Guru coughed briefly before taking a deep, suffocated breath. "While these invaders are busy fighting one another, we can use the opportunity to collect them for ourselves."

"The Saiyans deposited four in the water just outside of our village," Moori resolutely informed Guru, "where the fighting is still happening."

"Yes. Those will be dangerous to retrieve." Guru turned his eyes on Nail, frowning deeply before making a reluctant request of his most skillful warrior. "Nail, I want you to go for them. Take some of your brothers with you."

"Yes, Guru." Nail moved in preparation to hastily leave before Guru raised his hand slowly in indication for him to stop.

"Wait." Everyone stilled at Guru's word. " _Those_ Dragonballs aren't going anywhere." Guru drawled with a wry smile and slow shake of his head. "First you must face the two men who are collecting the Dragonballs and attacking more of our villages as we speak."

The warriors furrowed their brows and looked at one another with trepidation. "If someone is attacking our surviving brothers, we are _more_ than willing to go defend them, Guru."

Guru frowned deeply at the words of his determined warrior children. He was so proud of them, so he hated having to tell them this. "Go to seek the Dragonballs. Your brothers may be beyond saving."

Guru admitted as much with a heavy heart. He gasped as his lungs struggled for air due to the tightening in his chest again. He could feel his time slipping away. His children would have to act soon if they had any chance of making a wish.

"Go now, but be careful, Nail." Guru pressed impatiently once he was able to gather enough air to speak again.

Nail, fortunately, didn't need to be told twice. As Nail was joined by other warriors, and the five of them descended to exit Guru's home, Guru knew Nail and the other warriors would easily seek out the villains that were ransacking the good, peaceful villages of Nameks. He only hoped they had a chance to survive against their enemies. With that thought, Guru turned to his two youngest sons in the room, smiling proudly at their hidden potential, which could serve them very well at a time like this.

"Boys, you have a part in all this as well." Guru informed Dende and Cargot, who raised their brows at one another in surprise before diligently stepping forward. "Come stand beside me here."

As the boys moved to stand beside him, Guru placed his massive hand over their heads as they levitated to meet his reach. Moori folded his hands together and smiled fondly as a white light emanated around the gasping boys, while Guru sighed and lifted his chin towards the sky to draw out their healing potential.

"Wha-"

"What _was_ that?" Cargot questioned as he stared in awe at his hands, no doubt feeling the power within him that was released, as his brother did the same.

"Your power. You've had it in you all along." Moori explained to the boys on Guru's behalf with a curt smile and nod towards the tired elder, who smiled back in appreciation, as it would be difficult for him to explain much in his current condition.

"You boys are healers." Guru coughed harshly. "You may be able to help the Saiyan Goku."

Moori and many of the other villagers gasped in shock at the suggestion. "Great elder! You're not suggesting those boys return to the place where those monsters fight!"

"It's too dangerous!"

"I know it is dangerous," Guru admitted sternly, "but it is necessary." As Guru expected, the others gasped in shock at his suggestion. "Nail is our most powerful warrior, and he is no match for some of these aliens who threaten us. We may _need_ Goku's help."

"Is Goku really in trouble?" Dende asked worriedly.

"I'm afraid so, Dende." Guru admitted solemnly, before stifling another cough.

"Then we'll do it." Cargot added with determination, before Dende smiled at his brother in agreement.

"Right! Goku saved us. We can save _him_ now!" Dende added with a stubborn glare.

Guru smiled proudly to himself. His children never ceased to amaze him. "Then go, children. He may not have much time." Guru sensed the occurrences at the battle scene again, noting the fighting seemed to have ceased, though what he sensed did not look promising for Namek. "Be careful, and good luck."

"We'll go with them, Guru, for their protection." Two warriors offered as they courageously stepped forward.

Guru slowly nodded his approval. He did not wish to send so many of his children back out there like this, but he knew this invasion would lead to the destruction of Namek if they didn't do _something_. It would undoubtedly lead to something even worse than the destruction of Namek and their entire race if the Dragonballs fell into the wrong hands. So Guru had no choice but to continue sending the lambs into the slaughter. His beloved children, all being sentenced to death. His heart ached for them, and he only hoped they would hurry before it was too late.

* * *

A/N: A couple of deaths in this chapter, and no power levels revealed. Sorry, but the POVs here were of characters _not_ using scouters. You should have an idea where the Saiyans' power levels were during the fight, judging by how they matched up against the Ginyu force. I'm sorry to have breezed through Nappa's death in such a calloused way, but that did happen from Vegeta's POV, and in the anime he coldly killed Nappa himself, so keeping Vegeta in character meant Nappa's death couldn't be a big, emotional deal. In all honesty, the way DBZ is, these fights could take up several chapters if done in true DBZ style, and I really don't want to spend so many chapters on fights, which is why I had multiple fights happening at once. I hope that didn't disappoint anyone. There is just so much more storyline I want to get to, but these fights have to happen first. Thanks for reading, and I'm really enjoying all of your continued reviews and feedback.


	20. For Namek

He knit his brows tightly with worry as he glanced at his brother flying beside him. The two brave warriors accompanying them were just ahead, moving a little more quickly. Their destination was near, but strangely, he couldn't sense any presence at the village.

"Cargot," he began, being careful not to disturb the sensitive ears of the grown Nameks just ahead, "do you really think we can do this?"

"You mean..." Cargot trailed off uneasily as his brows furrowed with concern, "heal someone or...come face to face with the Saiyans and those other monsters?"

"I'm...not sure." Dende admitted in defeat.

Guru had full confidence in their abilities, which should have been enough to sway their self-doubts, but Dende worried when the time came, he may not be able to help Goku. He hoped he truly did have the ability to heal someone; it would be a wonderful gift. But he still found it hard to believe.

And then, even though Goku had saved them, Dende still found Goku intimidating. _All_ of the strangers who had come to their planet were scary. To heal, he'd have to be very close to the injured person, which undoubtedly meant getting close to the rest of them as well.

"I want to know why they left the village." Cargot said with his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Right on cue, the burlier of the two warriors glanced over his shoulder to address the boys. "They're off in that direction now." He pointed vaguely to the left. "It seems they left the village a while ago, when the fighting stopped."

"You know what _that_ means, don't you?" The lean, stern-faced warrior grumbled knowingly back at his counterpart.

Dende's eyes widened in realization. If the fighters abandoned the village, that left the Dragonballs there unguarded.

"The Dragonballs!" Cargot exclaimed in alarm.

"We can get them." Dende stated firmly. "With Nail's Dragonballs, we could collect all seven if we take those now."

"Or maybe we shouldn't." The burly warrior argued disappointedly. When the others all looked at him questioningly, he stopped flying and stilled in mid-air to address his group. "The Saiyan needs help. But it's incredibly dangerous for you to go to him. You two may need _both_ of our protection." He said to Dende and Cargot, before frowning meaningfully at the other warrior. "I won't be responsible for Guru losing any more of his children, especially such young ones who he entrusted with an important task."

The stern Namek nodded in understanding. "Perhaps we should wait and let someone else collect those balls for us."

"No!" Cargot exclaimed stubbornly. "No one is as close as we are, and we may not get this chance again. What if those other foreigners Guru spoke of find that village before one of us is able to return?"

"Cargot…" the stern warrior began to argue with a somber frown.

"No! We need to do this for Namek! Dende and I can handle healing Goku as long as _one_ of you is with us." Cargot turned to Dende as his determined expression quickly fell into one of doubt. "Right, Dende?"

Dende grabbed Cargot's hand reassuringly with a smile, before meeting the warriors' eyes with just as much inspiring determination as Cargot had before. Cargot was right. Namek was more important than any one of them. Dende was willing to take the risk and put his trust in Goku's protection, if he knew he could save Guru and his many brothers.

"Cargot's right. One of you should go to get the Dragonballs from the water."

The stern warrior frowned reluctantly at Dende, while the burly one balked at him in blatant disbelief. "We _both_ need to stay with you two!"

"No. The children are right." The stern one admitted with a resigned frown. "This isn't about us. This is about saving Namek, which means keeping Guru safe and collecting those Dragonballs...at any cost." He crossed his arms and diverted his gaze from the others as he regrettably admitted the morbid truth.

"Kerry, you can't mean that!" The burly warrior exclaimed as he latched a hand firmly around Kerry's arm.

Kerry didn't flinch at the touch, only met the other warrior's gaze with a resolute stare. After a moment, the other warrior gaped in defeat, before releasing his grip with an understanding nod.

Kerry nodded thankfully at his companion before smiling reassuringly at the speechless young brothers. "Go. I'll look out for these two." Kerry said to the warrior without removing his gaze from the boys. His resolute look gave Dende comfort, in spite of their current predicament. "You bring those Dragonballs back to Guru."

The other warrior pressed his lips together into a hard line before he lowered his head with regret. Then he looked at Kerry, and then the boys. "Alright. I'll get the Dragonballs. You three be careful." He wished them gravely, before meeting Kerry's gaze with a deep frown. "I only hope this Saiyan is worth the risk."

Dende gulped nervously at the negative implication of the warrior's statement before the warrior flew away from them in a burst of white light, traveling much faster than they had been earlier.

"Hey." Kerry voiced reassuringly, drawing Dende's gaze from the air from which the other had disappeared, to Kerry's encouraging smile. "If Guru thinks this is worth it, you have to believe it is."

"Right." Dende and Cargot agreed with brave smiles.

"Now let's go. We'll have to proceed on foot from here, or those devices some of them are wearing might detect us."

Dende cringed at that terrifying possibility. Saving Goku without losing their lives would require remaining unseen. They were as good as dead without even accomplishing anything first if someone knew they were coming. Dende, Cargot and Kerry lowered to the ground and proceeded in the direction where Kerry sensed their energies.

Kerry ordered the boys to suppress their energy as low as possible, but Dende really didn't know how to do that. Kerry said Cargot's energy lowered after a while, but Dende didn't know how Cargot had figured out that particular skill. He was still having trouble recognizing his energy, but Kerry finally assured him that his energy was low enough for them to proceed.

When they neared enough to the location for Kerry to warn them to keep quiet, Dende felt his heart rate increase and his palms begin to sweat. He was scared. He really didn't want to die, but his chances of survival weren't looking good as he insanely approached with his brothers a group of vile, powerful murderers, looking to save one of them. As they eased their hands across a massive rock to peek around to witness the quiet conversation occurring on the other side, Dende held his breath. He didn't know what he'd find, but he was pretty sure Cargot was holding his breath in anticipation, too.

"Aughh!" A deep voice startlingly grumbled from the other side of the rock.

Dende spotted its source-that lavender-skinned, tall, monstrous man with a pair of horns on his head-striking an awkward pose on one leg. Beside him, the other tall, colorful alien held an equally-bizarre pose, while the third man with long white hair kneeled before them, with a good gap between him and the others.

"This isn't working! Do you know how carefully I choreographed those poses?!" He shouted to the other two as he let his raised, pointed toes lower to the ground and glared at the others in disapproval.

"Yes, Sir!" The short, hairy one exclaimed nervously as he rose to his feet to face the leader.

"It's just not the same without Guldo and Recoome." The third complained with his arms crossed, raising his chin towards something in the distance.

Dende followed his gaze to see a grouping of small space ships grounded into their surrounding rocky formations. He gasped when he realized some of those ships were occupied-one by a rather large, unconscious man who the alien seemed to be indicating, one by a very beaten and battered, restrained and angry looking Saiyan, and one by Goku, who was also restrained, but also unconscious.

"I don't like the looks of this." Kerry whispered, his voice right behind Dende's ears. "If that Saiyan's already been beaten by these guys, what good will he be to us once we save him?"

"Rrrgh!" The leader growled furiously, making Dende jump as he pushed his worry down and refocused his attention on the men they were watching. The aggravated alien clasped both hands around his skull and glared irately at the smaller, visibly seething trapped Saiyan. "I want to kill that puny bastard for doing this to us!"

"Hold on now, Captain!" The shorter alien exclaimed in alarm as he reached a hand to the angered captain's shoulder. "We need to keep our heads together now, no matter how much of a pain that monkey caused us by destroying our routine."

"Just think what Lord Frieza would do if Vegeta didn't make it back to him alive." The third man offered reasonably with a sour grimace.

He glared hostilely at the conscious Saiyan, who looked so angry that Dende was shocked he hadn't broken out of that small space ship and attacked the others yet.

A chill ran down Dende's spine at the alarming look of Vegeta before the smaller alien suddenly assumed an upbeat tone. "Hey! I know! We completed our mission, Mates! Let's do a celebratory dance of our victory before we grab a bite to eat and get out of here!"

The captain's eyes lit at the suggestion as the other tall alien's tense demeanor softened.

The short man smiled victoriously at their reactions. "That always cheers you up when you're frustrated, Captain Ginyu!"

"And that dance won't require Recoome and Guldo in order to be done right." Ginyu said with a considerate frown as he rubbed his chin and finally smiled in approval. "Alright! Let's do it."

"Yes, Sir!" Both of the other aliens exclaimed as Dende gasped in shock at the startling sensation of being tapped on the shoulder.

"Shhh!" Kerry hissed as both boys turned to face him. Kerry leaned down to huddle together with the boys, before addressing them in a whisper. "Now's your chance, while they're distracted." Kerry said with a nod towards the tiny, crashed space ships. "You boys move in to heal the Saiyan Goku, and I'll be right here, watching your backs to make sure no one sees you."

"What about the other Saiyan?" Cargot questioned with a nervous glance at the terrifyingly infuriated, trapped alien.

Dende blinked in disbelief as he first assumed Cargot was suggesting offering his help to that monster, but then sighed heavily in relief when he sighted Cargot's terrified expression and realized Cargot's real concern.

"He'll see us for sure." Dende decided.

Kerry growled in frustration before casting a furtive glance at the dancing spectacle beginning in the opposite direction. "Just keep your distance from his pod. He's too badly injured to be a threat." Kerry claimed hastily before glancing at the Ginyu group again. "There's no time to worry about him. You need to move now!" Kerry hissed as he gave Dende and Cargot both a gentle shove in that direction.

Dende stumbled forward before meeting Cargot's fearful gaze with his own fear undoubtedly written on his face as well. If they were going to do this, at least they were doing it together. They could only hope that they'd both survive to see Namek move past this invasion, back into the peaceful times that they'd enjoyed up until this point.

* * *

It was nice to find a village untouched, still blissfully unaware of the dangers that threatened their entire planet. The elder there was shocked when Nail shared the news of what had been happening on the planet. He willingly handed over their Dragonball, being especially eager to do so once Nail told them it was at Guru's behest. The second village offered no such reception.

The devastation they found there was horrifying. Corpses of brutally slain, innocent Nameks, young an old, littered the grounds. Their killers didn't even have the decency to bury them or put them all out of their misery, as a couple of them were still struggling and slowly dying. That was the hardest part, having to finish the job that was left unfinished, taking part in the deaths of his brothers as he and the other warriors joining him painstakingly put them out of their misery.

Nail's heart beat frantically in his chest as he flew to the next village after coming up empty at that village. Now he had an idea what Guru was feeling, knowing all _that_ was happening all along. He couldn't imagine how badly Guru was suffering through this. If Nail could help it, Guru wouldn't suffer like that anymore. However, as he approached the next village, he couldn't see how preventing Guru any more pain would realistically be possible. The two power levels he sensed up ahead were too high for most Nameks to counter. Even if Nail could take them _both_ on, his brothers were in danger. The Dragonballs had to be there, and more of his brothers were in danger there. Nail needed to help them, in spite of Guru's warning to focus on the Dragonballs. He knew he wouldn't let Guru down as long as _someone_ made the Dragonballs a priority.

Nail raised his voice to address one of his four accompanying brothers, the one currently carrying their only Dragonball. "Limac," he said as the Nameks behind him responded with audible grunts, "no matter what happens to the rest of us, you are to bring the Dragonballs back to Guru. Make sure you get them back safely. Understand?"

Limac audibly gasped in alarm. Nail was ready to argue as he expected a retort by the sound of Limac's response, but fortunately, Limac only growled under his breath before agreeing. "Yes."

"Good. The rest of you must realize already that these foes we're approaching are very powerful. I'll need your help to make sure Limac escapes with the Dragonballs, including any they're already holding. We'll try to save anyone we can in the village."

"But Guru said-"

"I know what he said!" Nail retorted angrily without bothering to glance back at his aghast brothers. "But after that last village, I can't just abandon them, can you?!"

A long, tense silence ensued as they flew down to the village below, where villagers were nervously gathered around the intruders and one Namek laid dying on the ground. The strangers were laughing as they pressed buttons on the lensed devices covering their eyes and ears. Their eyes narrowed at Nail as his group approached. Nail growled with frustration at the sight of the village as his brothers' feet noisily collided with the ground behind him.

"You're right, Nail." One of the warriors angrily agreed just before another growled furiously and impulsively launched himself at the green-skinned alien cruelly laughing at their fallen brother.

"No!" Nail cried as his eyes bulged in alarm.

The alien glared at the incoming Namek, before effortlessly raising a hand towards him. "Don't!" Nail shouted to the intruder before a smirk crossed the other's face and a massive blast of powerful ki flew from his extended palm.

Nail and his brothers behind him all shouted and gasped as their impulsive brother screamed in pain when he was engulfed in the life-taking blast. The scared villagers screamed and clung to one another at that sight, after having initially looked relieved at the sight of the warriors' arrival.

" _This_ is your rescue party?" The large, pink-skinned alien laughed mockingly as he turned to the villagers. "Only one of them has a power level that's not laughable."

Nail growled and clenched his fists by his sides as he struggled to restrain himself. He wanted to end this confrontation as non-violently as possible. Besides, attacking now could potentially start a firefight that would result in more losses, with all the innocent bystanders around.

"Those Dragonballs don't belong to you." Nail said as he narrowed his eyes pointedly at the two Dragonballs tucked beneath the larger alien's arms. "Return them to us and leave this planet in peace, _Friend_."

"Friend?" The pink man laughed before turning nonchalantly towards his long-haired companion, who was predatorily eyeing the warriors behind Nail. "You hear that, Zarbon? You just killed his friend right before his eyes and he still calls me friend." The pink man narrowed his eyes with a taunting smirk as the other man laughed airily at the Nameks. "Maybe he doesn't realize we plan to kill them and take their Dragonballs."

"I do realize that." Nail snapped in a dangerously low tone. "I'm simply asking you, as a friend, to change your mind and go back to where you came from."

"Well, thank you for that consideration," the pink man stated sardonically with a roll of his eyes, "but you see, _our_ problem is, if we go back to where we came from without these Dragonballs, we're as good as dead."

"So we're taking them." The other alien cut in rudely. "Do you intend to fight us for them?" Zarbon quirked a brow, before frowning at Nail. "If not, perhaps you should be smarter than your friends in that last village. Make the wise decision these villagers did and hand over that Dragonball you carry." He crossed his arms and nodded pointedly towards the Dragonball kept safely in Limac's hands.

Nail growled in defiance before eyeing the dead Namekian villager on the ground. "If their decision was so wise, why is there a dead Namek _here_ as well?"

The cruel aliens smiled at one another before haughtily smiling at Nail. "It took a little convincing to lead them to the right decision." The pink man said with mirth before the green one raised his hand threateningly towards the warrior to Nail's right.

"Will you need some convincing as well?" The alien asked impatiently as a white orb emanated from his palm, causing all the Nameks to gasp in alarm.

Bravely, but foolishly, the Namek at whom the alien took aim shouted out defiantly. "Do your worst! We'll never let vile aliens like you take-"

The Namek was cut off as a beam traveled through his chest, so fast that Nail knew the others hadn't seen it. The warrior fell to his knees with a hole in his chest, his mouth wide open in shock and eyes filled with pain.

"Good one, Zarbon." The pink alien said with a curt chuckle as another warrior fell hard to his knees by Nail's side to check over the fallen Namek. "That weakling didn't even see that coming."

Zarbon hummed in self-assured amusement before sweeping his cascading braid over his shoulder.

"He's dead!" The warrior on the ground cried out as he dropped the limp body of his dead brother to the ground and glared at the aliens.

As his furious brother stood with intentions of attacking the strangers, Nail placed a restraining hand on his chest. He couldn't lose another brother so quickly. If they kept attacking blindly like this, his brothers would all die one by one.

"Now, hand it over." Zarbon said as he extended his palm in anticipation of receiving the Dragonball.

Nail opened his mouth to refuse, though his defiant glare gave him away before he even had the chance to speak. The pink alien shook his head at him in warning before he flashed Nail a sinister grin. Nail stood down, feeling helpless against the incredible cruelty of the strangers. There had to be _some_ way to get the Dragonballs from the aliens without anyone else being hurt. Before Nail could think of a solution, though, Limac came forward, approaching the strangers with slow, heavy steps. As he extended the Dragonball slowly in offering, Nail clenched his fists tightly by his sides.

It couldn't end that way. Those strangers couldn't get away with destroying Namek, they couldn't get away with murdering his brothers, they couldn't leave with the Dragonballs, and they couldn't make their wishes.

They _couldn't_ make their wishes.

Nail's eyes widened in realization with that thought, just as the Dragonball was falling into Zarbon's open palm. Nail cracked a smile, then chuckled mischievously while the other Nameks frowned at him in alarm.

"Nail!"

"Nail?"

"What is your problem, Namek?" Zarbon grumbled irritably.

"You'll never get anything out of those but seven pretty balls. You'll _never_ get your wishes. So go ahead, take them." Nail taunted with a victorious smile. "Think of them as a gift from Namek when you leave."

The invaders' eyes widened in alarm, exchanging a curious glance before they turned to narrow their eyes suspiciously at Nail. "What are you talking about?"

"He's bluffing, Dodoria." Zarbon decided as he narrowed his eyes accusingly at Nail. "There's nothing wrong with these balls except for the fact that _we_ have them."

Nail felt no need to respond to that accusation. He simple crossed his arms and continued staring smugly into the clearly dubious eyes of the pink alien.

"Let's go!" Zarbon pushed when Dodoria continued staring at Nail pensively.

Dodoria turned to Zarbon with an irritated glare. "Do you want to be there for Lord Frieza's reaction when these things don't work?!"

"No. But that won't happen. They _will_ work." Zarbon spat as he bared his teeth in irritation at Nail.

"Not without a password." Nail informed them. "And the only person besides a Namek who has any chance of getting one is Goku."

Dodoria raised a brow."Goku?"

"What does _he_ want the Dragonballs for?" Zarbon asked disbelievingly.

"Something much nobler than you'd ever wish for." Nail stubbornly replied.

Zarbon frowned deeply at his remark, while Dodoria's eyes began darting rapidly and his brows furrowed in concentration. Then Zarbon laughed in amusement. "You're saying that Saiyan actually convinced all of you to help _him_?" Zarbon shook his head and continued laughing. "You know he and those other monkeys came here to purge your planet, _right_?"

Nail frowned deeply at that remark, still finding it difficult to trust Goku for that very reason. Guru's faith was the only reason Goku had a chance of making any wishes.

"We, on the other hand," Zarbon said as his light tone turned deceptively friendly, "are willing to allow all your friends here to live, as long as you give us this supposed password." Zarbon shifted his grip on the Dragonball beneath his arm as he smiled expectantly at Nail.

"That's _never_ going to happen, and I'll die fighting before I allow you to hurt another Namek." Nail stubbornly replied.

The other Nameks continued staring speechlessly as they observed the conversation happening before them.

To Nail's surprise, Dodoria stepped forward to address him. "It's Earth, isn't it?"

"What?" Nail balked in confusion as Zarbon furrowed his brows questioningly at his companion.

"Goku's wish." Dodoria said knowingly as Nail's eyes widened in alarm, which gave Dodoria his answer. While Zarbon groaned with irritation, Dodoria smirked with a grunt of satisfaction. "I don't know how he got the other monkeys to cooperate with this crazy plan, but that Saiyan does have a tendency to get his way."

"Dodoria, we need to get this password and the rest of the Dragonballs and get back to Lord Frieza before the Ginyu force does." Zarbon insisted hurriedly.

Nail frowned as he patiently waited to see what the strange aliens would do. Perhaps there would still be a chance for Namek, if they would only make the decision to leave. Namek's survivors could rebuild and recover from the brutal attacks. But the carnage had to stop now, which all depended on the decisions of these foreigners. Dodoria tilted his head in consideration of something, before dropping his Dragonballs with a loud plop by his feet. Nail balked in alarm at the unexpected move.

Dodoria turned to address his murderous counterpart. "I don't think I like that plan anymore, Zarbon."

"What are you talking about?!" Zarbon exclaimed in disbelief as Nail glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone else was as stunned by their unwanted guest's change of mind as he was.

As expected, they were all staring at Dodoria, looking as awestruck as he felt.

" _You_ can leave to face Frieza's wrath if you want, Zarbon. But leave that Dragonball." Dodoria said with a wry smile at his astounded comrade.

"Dodoria!" Dodoria's gaze hardened as Zarbon stood in shock, still possessively holding the Dragonball in his arm.

"I said leave it, Zarbon!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you _want_ to die?" Zarbon exclaimed as his eyes twitched in irritation and he took a hesitant step away from Dodoria.

"No." Dodoria replied quietly with his gaze lowered towards the ground, before he looked up to meet Zarbon's gaze. "That's _exactly_ why I'm doing this." Dodoria's wry smile returned as he lifted his arms above his head, forming a ball of ki between them as he narrowed his eyes at Zarbon and yelled loudly.

The Dragonball slipped from Zarbon's twitching fingers as he backed away. "Dodoria!"

The ground shook from the power Dodoria was manifesting as the glowing ball between his hands expanded in size. As Dodoria swung his arms forward to project the blast, Zarbon took another hasty step back and shook his head fervently in denial.

"Nooooo!" Zarbon cried as the Namekian villagers screamed and ran for cover.

Nail crouched on the ground and defensively forged a barrier around himself and his nearby brothers as the ball spiraled past them, radiating a massive amount of power. Nail had to close his eyes tightly as the blinding light from the blast seemed to encompass everything in sight. When he opened them again after feeling the waves of power subside, the blast had cleared away nearly everything in its path, leaving Zarbon's lifeless, crisped body beside his abandoned Dragonball.

Nail gaped speechlessly at the sight, as did all the other Nameks. Dodoria moved forward to collect Zarbon's Dragonball, with both of his already gathered in his arms again. Dodoria cradled his arms around the three large balls before turning to Nail with a domineering smirk.

"I-I don't know what caused your change of heart, but thank you, friend." The elder said to Dodoria as he emerged from the safety of one of the village dwellings.

Dodoria only gave the misguidedly appreciative elder behind him a passing glance before ignoring him and returning his attention to Nail. "Now, _you're_ going to take me to Goku to collect the rest of the Dragonballs."

Nail breathed harshly through his nose as he suspiciously eyed the spiky, pink alien who he knew was no friend of Namek. "Why?"

"I need to make my wish. I need Goku and your password to make that happen."

"I meant why did you do it?" Nail asked with an indicative nod towards Zarbon's deceased remains.

Dodoria snorted in amusement. "Nothing more than self-preservation." Dodoria narrowed his gaze at Nail, before stepping forward and nodding for Nail to move forward. "Now move."

Nail glared defiantly at Dodoria, but reluctantly turned to lead the way after giving his wary brothers a reassuring nod. He didn't trust that alien at all. But the alien did hold three of the seven Dragonballs, and had already proven he was strong enough to be of use against the other vicious aliens that still lurked on their planet. Any kind of alliance, even a shaky, distrustful one, was better than fighting. Going to Goku with the Dragonballs was as much to Nail's benefit as it was to Dodoria's, though Nail still didn't fully understand what Dodoria planned to do once they met with Goku.

Nail had accomplished his mission, strangely enough. One of their attackers was defeated, three Dragonballs were in his and Dodoria's possession, only leaving the ones buried underwater to be collected, most of the villagers and some of his warriors were left alive and safe, and he would be reuniting with Goku soon, hopefully getting that help that Guru was counting on. Nail could only hope that the children succeeded in their mission as well. He had no idea what to expect once they arrived to meet the Saiyan, but he didn't anticipate the encounter going smoothly.

* * *

A/N: The Namekian names Kerry and Limac are both variations of slug breeds (Kerry slug and Limax). I am not looking to create a lot of OCs in this story, but some more Nameks needed names, given the change in scenario. I'm sticking to Toriyama's naming trends, which you might've already noticed with that earlier character, Mengo, FYI.


	21. Convergence

A/N: I have to warn you all that this is a long chapter. Regarding the last chapter, I realize that Dodoria killing Zarbon was iffy, but they were around the same power level when Zarbon wasn't transformed, and seeing that Dodoria took Zarbon by surprise, I feel that it is reasonable that Dodoria could have killed him. Those surprise attacks usually work in DBZ between people of equal power levels.

This chapter includes Ginyu's body-snatching technique. It can be very confusing to smoothly convey in a fanfiction, especially when you're writing it from a character's perspective. I spent quite some time reading over that part and trying to make sure it was clear, so I hope it isn't too confusing, though it is bound to be to some extent, because two people in each other's bodies _is_ confusing! Also, I just want to note that _I_ am aware of the hiccup with the character's plans for wishes, but seeing that you are reading the character's perspectives, that isn't mentioned at all in the story.

I honestly surprised myself with a few unplanned plot changes in this chapter, but I was really happy with them when they came about. Sorry for the lengthy author's note! Anyways, enjoy and reviews are always appreciated.

* * *

"What is taking those fools so long?" Frieza asked his two henchmen, who stood at attention behind him.

The trembling, purple-skinned henchman and his human-like henchman, who was blue in the face with fear, both shrugged at one another.

"Well?!" Frieza pressed insistently. "If I have to wait much longer to kill those Saiyans, I may need to find _replacements_ for them." Frieza glared meaningfully over his shoulder to the quivering men behind him.

"I-I'll get r-right on c-calling the Ginyu Force, Lord Frieza!" The humanoid responded as he reached a finger to press against his scouter.

Before his finger touched the button, an alerting tone sounded in Frieza's scouter. Frieza's brows rose high in surprise at the contact, before he smiled in relief at seeing from whom it came.

"Never mind. Get out of here." Frieza ordered before lifting a finger to receive his call while the henchmen breathed heavy sighs of relief and hurriedly swept out of the room. "Captain Ginyu? Do you have my package?"

 _"Of course, Lord Frieza!"_ Ginyu proudly reported, bringing a satisfied smile to Frieza's face.

"And what of Nappa? And the natives of the planet?"

 _"Nappa is dead, Lord Frieza."_ Frieza smiled widely at the news, exposing his teeth to the starry atmosphere of space outside his window. _"Some of the Nameks as well."_

Frieza's smiling face morphed into a disappointed pout. "Some?"

 _"Did...you want them destroyed as well, Lord Frieza?"_ Frieza bit his tongue as he frowned bitterly at the stupid question. _"We can do that for you, we only need to hear your order, and consider it done, my Lord!"_

"Those Nameks were harboring fugitives, Ginyu." Frieza growled through his teeth. "I may have never found those pesky Saiyans, if it weren't for my more astute servants locating them there. The Nameks need to _die_ for that."

 _"I understand, Lord Frieza!"_ Ginyu paused before adding, _"I only hesitated to act because I didn't think you had any interest in this planet. It's a piece of crap, if you don't mind me being blunt, Sir."_

"I know." Frieza grumbled as his shoulders tensed and his scowl turned irritated. "I don't want the damn planet! I just want every last pathetic soul on the planet to suffer!"

 _"Then suffer they will, Lord Frieza."_

"Good." Frieza loosened up slightly as he let out a heavy sigh. A sinister smile crossed his face as he envisioned the return of the Ginyu Force with their captives. "Not nearly as much as Goku and Vegeta. Those Saiyans will _wish_ you killed them when I get my hands on them!" Frieza laughed aloud as Ginyu grumbled crossly about something. Frieza stopped laughing with an abrupt frown. "What was that, Ginyu?"

 _"I have to inform you, Lord Frieza, that we lost Guldo...and Recoome is in bad shape. He'll need a rejuvenation tank ready when we arrive."_

"Yes, yes." Frieza dismissed the news with a waving gesture of his palm. "I'm not surprised. You can replace that sorry little mutant when you return. Which Saiyan nearly killed Recoome? Goku?"

" _No._ I _had the honor of fighting him. Thank you for offering the worthy opponent, Lord Frieza."_

"Of course." Frieza nodded understandingly.

That was exactly why he sent Ginyu. No one else under his service could have possibly beat Goku. But it was surprising that Vegeta or Nappa, or even the two of them together could nearly kill Recoome.

" _Vegeta tried to kill Recoome, nearly succeeded."_ Ginyu added bitterly. _"I have to admit, Lord Frieza, it was a tempting notion to take him out myself. That bastard made me so angry, I don't know what I was thinking. I could barely compose myself."_

"Vegeta does bring that out in people." Frieza smirked in amusement. His smirk widened as the conversation returned his thoughts to the Saiyans. "I can't wait to welcome him and that other monkey home. We have _so_ much catching up to do."

* * *

Vegeta narrowed his eyes intently at the sight of the two young Nameks huddled around Goku's pod, standing with their hands outstretched, and a strange glow emitting from their open palms. He turned his head to the left to get a better view of what was happening, just as he heard Captain Ginyu start addressing Jeice and Burter in the distance.

Whatever they were saying was of no consequence to him, though, as the sound of Goku's relieved sigh rang alarmingly through his ears.

"Kakarot?" Vegeta questioned aloud, more to himself than intended for the midget Nameks or Kakarot to actually hear him.

When Goku leaned forward with a grunt of effort, breaking free of his restraints and appearing completely free of injury, Vegeta glared incredulously at the sight. He narrowed his eyes perceptively at the celebrating, proudly smiling children.

"Thanks." Goku muttered as he opened and closed his fist, inspecting himself and clearly impressed with the work of the little Nameks.

"Hey, brats!" Vegeta hissed through his teeth, the effort to speak two words enough to remind him of the pain of his injuries. "One of you get over here!"

The children whimpered, their lips trembling as they took hesitant steps back from Vegeta's pod, daringly shaking their heads in refusal.

Vegeta growled furiously at their refusal. "Get over here now or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Irritably interrupted the voice of Captain Ginyu.

Goku and the Namekian kids looked alarmed by the unexpected appearance of the Ginyu force near the space pods. Vegeta knew this was coming, but was extremely frustrated by the fact that the remaining Ginyu force members couldn't have waited a minute longer, so Vegeta could be capable of defending himself again. At least Kakarot was, and Vegeta knew that Ginyu scum would be in for a surprise after Kakarot had been healed after being so close to death.

Ginyu narrowed his eyes sinisterly at Goku and the brats. "Neat trick, kids."

Ginyu looked Goku up and down, and the numbers registering on Ginyu's scouter started increasing. Vegeta's eyes widened in alarm as he noted Ginyu's scouter. Frieza! _That_ was what he heard. Ginyu had reported to Frieza, and if they didn't take out Ginyu now, he might still be transmitting. They couldn't risk Frieza knowing they escaped the Ginyu force.

"Kakarot! The scouter!" Vegeta exclaimed. He growled loudly in frustration when Goku blinked at him without a clue. "Ginyu contacted Frieza!"

"Frieza!" Goku responded in alarm before he glared accusingly at Captain Ginyu. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him," Ginyu scowled as he made a slow, menacing approach towards the group at the space pods, "that we were returning. And we _are_." Ginyu gave Goku a heated glare as Goku stood defiantly, not backing down in the slightest as the children ran to hide behind him. "Don't worry, kids. I don't want to hurt _you_." Ginyu chuckled. "I need at least one of you to heal Recoome over there for me. You might even make a nice additional gift for Lord Frieza with those talents of yours." Ginyu laughed as the boys screamed in fear.

" _Nobody's_ going back to Frieza, Ginyu." Goku stubbornly retorted as Vegeta noted movement from behind a nearby rock.

He rolled his eyes when he spotted a Namek, looking to ambush the Ginyu force. Captain Ginyu raised his hand towards Goku with the threat of a powerful blast of ki.

"Get back in your-"

Ginyu was abruptly interrupted by the noisy, yelling emergence of the Namek. "Run, kids!" The Namek yelled as Ginyu turned on him, intent on releasing his power on the intruder.

Ginyu never had the chance to launch that blast, as Goku seemed to suddenly appear right in Ginyu's face, planting a devastatingly powerful fist into Ginyu's gut. Vegeta marveled at the power in that punch, as the others gawked speechlessly at the sight of Ginyu falling to his knees.

The Namekian warrior was the first to recover from his surprise, and he used the moment to attack Burter. Burter and Jeice obviously intended to back up Ginyu, and the Namek must've seen ahead to the two of them becoming a problem.

"No!" Goku yelled as he sighted Burter defending himself from the Namek with a smirk on his face.

Goku turned his back to Ginyu to fire a blast at Burter, yelling with exertion as he put a lot of power into that blast.

"Kerry!" The children screamed.

Goku was too late to save the Namek, as Burter's fist tore clear through the Namek's torso just a second before the blast hit Burter. Vegeta smiled knowingly at the sight of the blast completely enveloping the mutant in its lethal power, even scalding the dying, too-close Namek in its efforts to destroy Burter. Vegeta knew the power of those other Ginyu freaks was nothing compared to Kakarot now. Their power would be nothing to _Vegeta_ either-once he healed, anyways. Which reminded him. The distraction of the fighting was the perfect opportunity to get those stubborn brats back to heal him.

"Hey, brats!" Vegeta yelled gruffly, peering towards the rock behind which they were likely hiding. "Get back here and heal me, or when I get out of this pod I'll kill you myself!"

The Nameks peered with wide, teary eyes from behind the rock, too distraught by the murder of the older Namek to pay Vegeta any attention. When Vegeta growled threateningly for their attention, the grieving children startled in alarm. They quietly conferred with one another, testing Vegeta's patience.

"You killed Burter!" Ginyu suddenly yelled, his fury loud enough to temporarily distract Vegeta from the irritating children. Ginyu was scrambling to his feet, swaggering from being weakened by the blow to his gut, as he glared furiously at Goku.

Goku glared back at Ginyu with calm resolve. "I know." Goku responded coldly as he extended his open palm to his left, his eyes never leaving Ginyu as he released a rumbling growl, to finally yell as he was enveloped in a gust of air while he released another blast from that palm.

The blast traveled incredibly quickly towards Jeice, who didn't even see it coming until it was too late. Jeice screamed as he was enveloped in the blast.

Ginyu's eyes bulged in disbelief as he watched his team being taken out one by one. "How-how did you get so strong?!" Ginyu blasted disbelievingly. "You couldn't be a-" Ginyu cut himself off with a stubborn shake of his head. "No!"

"Now there's only you." Goku decided with a determined scowl, ignoring whatever Ginyu was rambling about, though Vegeta had a guess which conclusion the mutant was likely drawing.

Vegeta had half a mind to come to the same conclusion-that Kakarot was a Super Saiyan. He stubbornly refused to believe it, though. After all, once he was healed, his power could possibly rival Kakarot's. That would make both of them Super Saiyans, and as far as Vegeta knew, there had only been one, according to the legends. One thing was for sure, no Saiyans in Vegeta's lifetime had ever reached power levels as high as either of theirs.

When Ginyu took a graceless step back from Goku with a nervous gulp, Vegeta's attention returned to the hesitant Nameks refusing to lift a damn finger to help him. "Dammit, you useless brats!" Vegeta hissed impatiently through his teeth.

Finally, one of them stepped forward, though the other tugged on that kid's sleeve, attempting to pull him back behind the rock again. Vegeta grit his teeth, growling to himself as his rage at the entire frustrating situation continued to build. He needed to get out of that space pod and in the action, to test his strength. He wanted a piece of the Ginyu force for himself, and Kakarot was taking all the glory. When the Namek boys finally began to emerge, to Vegeta's relief, Ginyu took a few furtive glances towards the space pods, before he smiled triumphantly.

"There's not _only_ me, Saiyan!" Ginyu chuckled. "Recoome is still here!"

Goku's head whipped over towards the space pods. Within a flash, he sent a powerful blast to the pod containing Recoome. Vegeta winced, closing his eyes tightly to shield himself from the scathing, blinding blast, as the Namek boys retreated to the safety behind their rock with frightened screams.

" _Now_ , there's only you." Goku decided as he fully focused his attention on Ginyu, who looked panicked at the final realization that he was doomed.

Vegeta would have chuckled at the sight, if it weren't for the fact that his ticket to recovery had just fled, due to Kakarot's careless blasting of the area.

"Damn you, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled to his comrade, drawing a surprised glance from Goku as a low, rumbling chuckle emanated from the seemingly defeated Captain of the Ginyu force.

Vegeta turned his attention with insistence to the children that needed to come over and heal him immediately. "Get your asses over here right now!"

The children scrambled to Vegeta at that call, finally too scared to let their reason guide them to a wiser decision. Vegeta smirked triumphantly when they reached his pod. "Now!"

Vegeta insisted his expectation with that one word as he closed his eyes, awaiting the overwhelming sensation of his injuries improving and being cleared from his body. After a moment of nothing happening, Vegeta opened his eyes to glare incredulously at the stupidly gawking children. "What's the problem?"

"Well..." one of them said as he looked to the other for help.

"You're...evil." The other finished for him with a disapproving frown.

Vegeta mustered all his strength to thrust his arm towards the nearest Namek boy, seizing him by the lapel of his robes to lift him off the ground. "That's _right_. Now," Vegeta growled as he narrowed his eyes hatefully towards the free Namek before him, "think what will happen to your little friend here if you refuse me again."

The Namek whimpered and nearly sobbed as he looked worriedly at his trembling companion in Vegeta's grip. Vegeta noticed in the distance, Ginyu assuming a strange pose and laughing like a madman as Goku gawked skeptically at the freak. Vegeta frowned briefly at that sight before turning his insistent glare on the Namek boys again.

With slow reluctance, the free Namek raised his open palms towards Vegeta, swallowing hard as a glow emanated from his palms. "I'm sorry, Cargot. I have to."

"Goku, look out!" The sudden, distant yell of a new arrival to the scene caused the Namekian boy to stop his efforts and turn in curiosity.

Vegeta clenched his teeth as he turned his gaze towards the sky, to spot Dodoria with a Namek, both glaring at Ginyu. Vegeta furrowed his brows in confusion as he noted that Dodoria had three Dragonballs cradled in his arms.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Nail!" The Namek boys yelled excitedly.

The Namek in the sky turned to the call, smiling widely at the excited little pests. When the Namek flew towards them, Vegeta sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. He knew the little shits would think they didn't need to help him, now that they had a brave warrior Namek to save them from the big, bad Saiyan.

However, a more surprising sight was the conundrum he was witnessing of Dodoria willingly dropping the Dragonballs, to let them fall several feet to the ground, while he lunged into the path of light emanating from Ginyu's mouth in Goku's direction. Nail and the Namek boys turned to watch the spectacle, after seeing the look on Vegeta's astounded face. Vegeta's fingers loosened around the boy's lapel, gradually releasing him as he was too transfixed on the strange scene to care about the boy.

"Change _now_!" Captain Ginyu hollered.

Goku's eyes bulged at Dodoria's back as the pink, fat alien's mouth opened wide, the light from Ginyu's mouth traveling into his. Ginyu had been smiling widely, but suddenly grimaced as his eyes widened in alarm. When the beam disappeared, everyone froze in shock, unsure of what had just happened. Even the two involved in the weird blast seemed discombobulated by the event.

"Uh...Dodoria?" Goku finally asked the pink man before him with a tap on his shoulder. "What are you...doing here?"

Dodoria turned and blinked dumbly at Goku, before gaping in disbelief. "Oh shit."

"Goku!" Ginyu called in an unusually friendly manner.

"Yeah?" Goku asked, leaning past Dodoria to look at Ginyu with a skeptical furrowing of his brows and confounded tilt of his head.

"I'm," Dodoria interrupted with a growl of frustration, "I'm supposed to be _you_!"

Goku blinked cluelessly at Dodoria. "...what?"

Dodoria clenched his fists against his bald head, violently curling in on himself with a rage-filled growl. When Goku moved as if to touch Dodoria and question him further about what was going on, the pink idiot actually decided to take a swing at the exponentially more powerful fighter.

"Dumbass." Vegeta muttered under his breath.

As Dodoria's fist collided with his chest, Goku wore a blank stare on his face as he looked at Dodoria, unflinching. "Look." Goku said in annoyance. "I don't know what you-"

"He's Ginyu, Goku!" Ginyu suddenly yelled, causing Goku to balk in disbelief. " _I'm_ Dodoria. That bastard just stole my body, but he meant to steal _yours_!"

Goku looked at Ginyu, or Dodoria, then Dodoria, or Ginyu, back and forth a few times, with an utterly confounded look on his face. He finally scratched his head, placed a hand on his hip and frowned in defeat. "I'm lost."

Vegeta gaped in realization. If what Ginyu just said was true, then he really _was_ Dodoria, and if so, Ginyu was finished. Or so Vegeta thought.

"Wait!" Ginyu-in-Dodoria's body laughed as he turned to Goku, who was still very close to him and gaping cluelessly at the scenario. "I'm not finished yet!"

Vegeta's mouth fell open in disbelief as Dodoria-Ginyu-whoever the hell he was-stretched his pink arms wide and assumed that same odd pose from earlier. If Ginyu took Goku's body and used his new power level, they were doomed to lose against Ginyu all over again. Vegeta couldn't let that happen.

"He's going to try it again!" Vegeta warned, the effort of his outcry ending in an agonized groan, a painful reminder of his lingering injuries which still had yet to be attended to.

"No!" Dodoria-in-Ginyu's body yelled.

The lavender-skinned alien lunged at his previous body, planting a devastating kidney punch and interrupting the body snatching process as Ginyu-in-Dodoria's body cried out in pain and tumbled to the side. He tumbled violently through the air until he hit the ground, forming a crater with his collision. Dodoria-in-Ginyu's body inspected his powerful fist with an impressed chuckle.

"Dodoria?" Goku asked to the tall mutant beside him as the alien below, who resembled Dodoria, groaned and slowly crawled out of his crater.

The man who looked like Ginyu smirked and nodded to Goku. Goku frowned dubiously, but shrugged in acceptance of the situation. "Alright. Thanks, Dodoria." Goku said before intently fixing his gaze on the deeply frowning pink alien staring up at them from the ground. "Hey, would you mind turning off your scouter?" Goku asked.

Continuing to hold his gaze on Ginyu, Goku waited patiently as Dodoria obliged his request with a curious frown. Once the scouter was off, Goku curled both hands around to his side. Dodoria frowned curiously as Goku formed a ball of ki within his palms and extended it towards the ground with unexpected haste, releasing a blazing blast at the screaming alien.

Vegeta chuckled maliciously as he witnessed the beam travel to Ginyu-in-Dodoria's body, who screamed as he was blown away effortlessly by the blast. He was impressed. It was good to see the Saiyan in Kakarot. Vegeta knew that look in his eyes. It wasn't the reluctant look he always had when killing during past purges. _This_ look, Vegeta understood. The need to destroy your enemies. The excitement of a successful kill. Kakarot finally understood.

"Hey!" Dodoria-in-Ginyu's body yelled indignantly at Goku. "Why'd you have to kill him so fast? I wanted to get my body back! I don't want to live the rest of my life looking like this! I'm hideous."

" _Now_ you're hideous?" Goku asked with an incredulous raise of his brow.

Vegeta clenched his teeth with frustration as he glared suspiciously at Dodoria. In spite of what he'd just done for Kakarot, there was only one reason Vegeta could think of for that alien being on Namek in the first place.

"Dodoria!" Vegeta yelled to catch the attention of both him and the ignorant Saiyan up there, who would never think of questioning this on his own. "You won't have to live with that hideous face for much longer, if you don't tell us exactly what you're doing on Namek!"

Goku's eyes widened in realization at Vegeta's question before he narrowed his gaze suspiciously at Dodoria. "Did Frieza send you?"

"Well...yeah, but-"

"Kill him, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled hurriedly, wincing in pain. "He's going to betray you. This is all some sort of trap devised by Frieza." Vegeta narrowed his eyes accusingly at Dodoria, knowing it was just Frieza's style to have a backup plan in mind, in case the Ginyu force fell through.

"No!" Dodoria yelled in alarm, turning his horned head to face Goku pleadingly. "Didn't you see that I came here with a Namek? And where's Zarbon, huh?"

"Hm. Where _is_ Zarbon?" Goku asked curiously.

As if the dumb oaf hadn't noticed the absence of the man Vegeta assumed was likely hiding somewhere, waiting to take them by surprise. Not that either of those two had enough power to counter his and Kakarot's strength, but knowing Frieza, they would have some trick up their sleeves that didn't require strength to take down the Saiyans.

"I killed him." Dodoria bluntly stated, crossing his arms and scowling at the admission.

"Liar!" Vegeta said.

"No, it's true." Nail calmly informed the Saiyans, glaring at Vegeta before looking up to meet Goku's gaze. "I was there. The other one is dead." Nail nodded pointedly towards Dodoria. "This one says he betrayed him for self-preservation." He snorted incredulously. "If you _believe_ that."

"Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, fed up with being confined to a pod and in pain while everyone carried on with a lengthy conversation. "Since you're so friendly with these fools, tell them to heal my injuries already!"

Goku blinked at Vegeta in surprise before smiling down at the children. "Oh. Go ahead, Dende. What are you waiting for?"

"What are we _waiting_ for?!" Cargot asked incredulously.

"Goku, your friend here killed some of our people!" Nail exclaimed.

"He threatened to kill _us_ if we didn't heal him right away!" Dende added indignantly.

"I'm sure Vegeta's sorry about those murders. He didn't mean that threat about killing you either. _Right_ , Vegeta?"

Vegeta glowered irritably at the subtle, teasing smile that Goku shot him after that question, which conveniently escaped everyone else's notice. Vegeta forced a small smile as he looked at the Nameks. "Right."

Vegeta frowned deeply as one of the warily frowning boys finally raised his hands for a second time to heal him. As the pain washed away with the strange glow that encompassed his body, Vegeta scowled to himself. He wasn't sorry for any of it. And truthfully, he was still likely to carry through on his threat once this healing was done. The little twerps deserved it after making him wait so long and sit out on a battle. Vegeta closed his eyes momentarily as he felt better, and more importantly, more powerful than ever before.

As he used his power to break through the confinements strapping him to the space pod, Vegeta shifted his focus to more important matters. The only thing that truly mattered now was the issue of making his wish, before Frieza got wise and decided to come looking for them himself, which he would inevitably do at some point. It was only a matter of time, and when that time came, Vegeta intended to be the one coming out on top.

* * *

Goku was surprised to see the Saiyan prince escape his pod as soon as he was healed, only to spryly dart towards one of the fallen Dragonballs. When he picked it up and looked around furtively for the next one's location, Goku watched with curiosity. Nail, not being nearly as curious, and much more suspicious than Goku, instantly reached for one of the remaining Dragonballs, which had fallen not too far from his location, just as Vegeta was flying towards the last one.

Vegeta landed near Recoome's exploded space pods, staring intently at Nail. "Hand it over." Vegeta ordered with a subtle indication towards Nail's Dragonball.

Nail glowered back at Vegeta stubbornly, holding tight to the Dragonball. It was apparent to Goku that neither one of them intended to back down, but he really didn't see the point to any confrontation at the moment. Goku flew down to meet them on the ground, with Ginyu-or Dodoria, actually-trailing behind him. He glanced uncomfortably at Dodoria with that thought. It would be difficult to get used to recognizing that stern, purple face as Dodoria's.

As Goku landed, he smiled in amusement at the sight of Vegeta and Nail still stubbornly staring each other down. "There's no pointing in fighting over them, guys." Goku said nonchalantly as he placed his hands on his hips. "Neither of you are going to make the wish without the rest of the Dragonballs, anyways."

" _The_ wish?" Dodoria asked with a skeptical frown. "Hey, Saiyans," Dodoria chuckled blatantly at Vegeta's testy glare, "that dragon will grant _three_ wishes."

Goku gasped, as did Vegeta, before Vegeta glared distrustfully at Dodoria.

"It's true." Nail confirmed, frowning deeply at Vegeta.

"Yes, that's right." Dende added as Cargot nodded in agreement. "Three wishes."

"Wow, that's great!" Goku exclaimed with enthusiastic relief.

Now, everyone could get what they wanted. Aside from the Ginyu force and Frieza…and Zarbon of course. But they intended to kill everyone, anyways. Goku had no qualms about killing them in order to save the others. Besides, everyone's time on Namek was likely running short before Frieza would start coming after them. They couldn't waste their time with a second lengthy battle with the Ginyu force. The first one used up so much time and had nearly resulted in their fatal end. Goku knew they needed to summon the dragon as soon as possible.

Goku smiled reassuringly at Vegeta, who continued scowling for some reason, even in light of the promising news. "Vegeta, if we all work together, we'll be able to summon the dragon right away." Goku assured his comrade with a nod, as the others frowned and nodded pensively. "Then, we'll use the first wish to wish the Earth back," Goku decided selfishly, noting dismissively the accusing glares he received from the others who had their own wishes in mind, "we can use the second wish to resurrect the Nameks who were killed," Goku quickly added with a promising nod towards Nail and the children, "and you can have the third wish, Vegeta." Goku smirked as he met Vegeta's gaze, which finally softened from a scowl into an impassive gaze as he met Goku's eyes.

"And just what does _Vegeta_ plan to wish for?" Nail asked accusingly as he glared at Vegeta, who smirked challengingly back at the Namek.

"Immortality." Vegeta responded tersely before meeting Goku's gaze again. "And why is it that my wish is the _third_?"

Goku couldn't help smirking as he met Vegeta's accusing glare with a bold stare of his own. He might've been willing to share the wishes, but he had been waiting far too long to wish the people from Earth back to life. He _could_ stretch the truth to hold Vegeta accountable for Earth's purge in order to justify his ordering of the wishes, if the need arose and Vegeta pushed the issue further. He also could easily explain why the Namek's wish came before Vegeta's, because it was _their_ Dragonballs, _their_ planet, and there was no denying that Vegeta had contributed to those deaths. After a few moments of being locked in that stare, Vegeta pursed his lips with displeasure as he seemingly understood Goku's thinking.

With a smug lift of his chin and an arrogant huff, Vegeta finally turned his face away. "Doesn't matter." Vegeta scoffed. "Go ahead and disillusion yourselves with your useless wishes. When Frieza comes to hunt us down, _I'll_ be immortal while you'll all be with the revived weaklings you care about, only to end up joining them all in the afterlife anyways."

Nail snorted in irritation, though Goku noted Dodoria frowning with worry at Vegeta's warning, as the children looked at one another, deeply concerned.

"If any of us are going to make wishes," Nail decided with a firm tone, "we need to retrieve the rest of those Dragonballs from the water near the village."

Goku nodded in agreement, before the children stepped forward and interrupted. "No, we don't! Keel already retrieved those balls!" Dende informed them with a proud smile.

"He should have returned them to Guru by now." Cargot added with a fervent nod.

Goku raised his brows in surprise at the good news. Things seemed to be turning around for the better on Namek.

Nail smiled at the boys, then Goku, before nodding in acceptance as Goku spoke. "Then when we get to Guru's, we'll have all seven!" The boys laughed jovially and held hands with each other as Goku exuberantly added, "let's go!"

The group launched into the air, flying together in anticipatory silence for a few minutes, likely all thinking fruitful thoughts about the granting of their desired wishes. Goku was surprised when one of the boys suddenly spoke out, directing a shy question at Dodoria, of all people.

"Mister, I was just wondering," Cargot began with a hesitant glance at Dende, who nodded supportively,"why did you help Goku back there?"

"Hm?" Dodoria retorted, sounding just as surprised by the question as Goku was.

"Yeah. I thought you were one of the bad ones." Dende added, before furrowing his brows in thought and frowning. "And I mean _you_ , not just the mean guy who used to be in your body."

"Heh." Dodoria huffed dismissively, turning his gaze away so Goku's curious eyes were unable to see the reaction Goku honestly wanted to see for himself. "You _could_ say I quit my job, hoping to find a position with more stability."

Goku stared long and hard at Dodoria's cryptic answer as the others continued flying in silence, though they were obviously listening in on the conversation. Goku hadn't questioned Dodoria's help. He always felt that Dodoria was a friend. Now that Dodoria had Ginyu's body, Goku hoped he'd maintain Ginyu's power level. It would be great to spar with someone who was on friendly terms, who had so much power. Maybe he could train with Dodoria. It could be a great challenge. Goku smiled at Dodoria with that thought, and Dodoria turned to notice the look in surprise.

Dodoria's surprised expression seemed slightly pleased, until he stubbornly frowned at Goku. "You know, I'm only going along with all of this to prove a point." Dodoria insisted to Goku with a harsh nod towards the Dragonballs in Vegeta's arms. Goku frowned questioningly back at Dodoria, as Dodoria's lips turned up into a smug smile. "You need to see that no one, _no one_ in this universe, not even your Earthling wife is as good a cook as I am."

Goku laughed briefly before licking his lips as his imagination conjured a cook-off between the impressive skills of Dodoria and Chi-Chi. "We'll see about that!" Goku laughed. "I'll be the judge. But are you sure you can still cook as well with that new body, Dodoria?" Goku teased.

"What's a wife?" Cargot curiously whispered to his Namekian brothers, who both shrugged with dubious frowns.

Dodoria shrugged in answer to Goku's question before turning solemn. "Honestly, I _have_ to stick with you now, Goku." Dodoria admitted in a low, serious voice. "I'm likely to be the first to die at Frieza's hand if he ever catches up with me at this point."

Goku frowned somberly in realization, before Nail spoke up with a sly smile. "If you really want to return to Frieza, you could always save yourself by assuming Captain Ginyu's identity."

Goku gasped in surprise, blinking at Dodoria as he realized that could very well work. Dodoria didn't have to come to Earth if he didn't want to, which was a disappointing concept for Goku, though he'd understand.

Vegeta's frown deepened at Nail's remark, as if he had already considered the same course of action. Goku suspected that Vegeta still didn't trust Dodoria. Given their history, Goku could understand Vegeta's thinking. But Goku just _knew_ that Dodoria could be trusted at this point. Goku curiously looked at Dodoria for his reaction to Nail's proposal, to find the tall, purple alien frowning in consideration.

"Nah." Dodoria decided with a shake of his head. "That's a chance I don't want to take. Frieza might want Ginyu dead, too, after all this."

Goku smiled to himself at Dodoria's refusal, as Vegeta slightly lightened up upon hearing the decision. Goku knew Dodoria genuinely didn't want to return to that life anymore. Goku briefly met Dodoria's gaze with a knowing smile, just as they were arriving at Guru's.

On the grass outside Guru's high-rise home, a group of Nameks were gathered around the four Dragonballs retrieved by the other warrior Namek. Guru was still inside, out of sight. Goku and the rest of the group landed in a clearing that was made as warily frowning Nameks backed away from their approach. Goku smiled at the Nameks, who all looked deeply alarmed and perturbed by the appearance of the group before them.

"It's alright. Everyone's friendly here." Goku claimed.

Nail and Vegeta both frowned in silent disagreement with Goku's statement and set their Dragonballs on the ground to join the rest. The Nameks outside Guru's home curiously scrutinized the odd grouping of people, before looking to Nail, Cargot and Dende for assurance.

"The other warriors?" One of the Nameks asked with a knowing frown.

Nail frowned solemnly and shook his head slowly with reluctance. The others began to react sadly before Goku waved them off and stepped closer to the gathered Dragonballs.

"Don't worry. You can wish them and the others back with the second wish." Goku assured them. He turned to Nail with his hands on his hips. "Can you summon the dragon?"

Nail stuttered in surprise at the request before hurriedly turning towards Dende. "Dende, get the password from Guru."

Dende and Cargot hurried inside with determined, respectful nods to Nail.

After they disappeared indoors, Goku turned to Vegeta with a serious frown. "Vegeta," Goku addressed him in a low, serious voice, "you're welcome to come to Earth, as long as you won't harm anyone there."

Vegeta smiled and snorted incredulously at the offer. "Kakarot, the first thing I'll do once I have immortality is find Frieza and kill him." Vegeta glared with determination as he crossed his arms. "The Saiyan race has waited far too long for vengeance against him." Goku nodded with understanding, until Vegeta caught him by surprise by adding, "you're a fool, Kakarot, if you think you can just run off to Earth and live in peace." Goku frowned bitterly at the warning. "Frieza will track you down and kill you and everyone you ever cared for, unless someone kills _him_ first."

Goku's frown deepened in understanding. After spending as much time as he had with Frieza, Goku knew what Vegeta was saying was true. To be honest, he was curious how he would fare against Frieza, now that his power seemed sufficiently higher than before.

As the boys came running from Guru's abode, Goku smiled boldly. "You're right, Vegeta. I just might join you before I return to Earth."

Vegeta blatantly scoffed in Goku's face. "Fighting against Frieza without immortality is a death wish, Kakarot". Vegeta's eyes settled on the boys taking their position in front of the Dragonballs before he absently added, "but if you have one, be my guest."

Everyone's attention then shifted to the children as Dende took a deep breath, stretched his hands forward, and prepared to say the password. " _Takurota Porunga popare paro!"_

A hush fell over the crowd as everyone stared with anticipation at the still balls. Goku blinked curiously when a few seconds passed without anything happening. He was just opening his mouth to question Dende when the balls began pulsing with that familiar glow, just like the smaller set of Earth's Dragonballs had always done. Goku smiled widely at the familiar sight as the sky turned dark, prompting wary glances from the others, who were not as familiar with the dragon-summoning phenomenon as Goku. Down in the waters below, violent waves loudly crashed against the base of Guru's tower.

An explosion of light shot from the Dragonballs, towards the sky, eliciting gasps from many of the observers as Goku shielded his eyes from the blinding light. He hesitantly opened his eyes to look up at the sky, where murky clouds circled around the ray of seemingly electrically-charged light shooting into the dark sky.

Goku gaped in disbelief as a massive dragon appeared from the light, looking nothing like what Goku expected to see. " _This_ is your dragon?"

Goku's question broke the stunned silence of the gaping, frightened group of people.

"Incredible!" Vegeta remarked under his breath.

Dodoria speechlessly gawked in awe, along with most of the impressed Nameks.

"He's so much different than Earth's dragon." Goku said.

"His name is Porunga." Nail informed the non-Namekians, his gaze stoically settling on the hovering dragon above.

"In Namek, it means 'Dragon of love'." Cargot added.

"This is the first time any of us, with the exception of Guru, have seen him." An elder explained with a profound, respectful gaze fixed on the massive dragon, who finally opened his cavernous snout to address the crowd below.

"You have collected all seven Dragonballs." Porunga's voice boomed, undoubtedly carrying for miles around. "And now, as it is written, think wisely and I will grant you three wishes within my power."

As Goku stared up at those large, eerie, glowing eyes, his heart pounded with anticipation. This was it. Finally, he could be reunited with his family and friends. All he had to do now, was say the words.


	22. Two Dragons

_Your wish is unacceptable. Only one life can be restored for each wish that you use._

The words of the eternal dragon played over again in Nail's mind as he watched the crestfallen expression on the faces of his brothers, following Goku's wish. He was only relieved that Guru was indoors, where Nail couldn't see _his_ disappointment. Perhaps if Guru was out there with them, he could've warned them not to get their hopes up about reviving the slain Nameks, like Goku's hopes to revive the Earthlings had been raised too high.

"What's _keeping_ you?" Porunga pressed after minutes had passed in speechless disappointment after Goku attempted his wish. The only one among them who seemed unaffected by the devastating news was Vegeta. Even Dodoria seemed disappointed by Goku's failure to revive the Earthlings, though not nearly as deeply as Goku.

Nail actually felt for the Saiyan. He was feeling just as bad about the impossibility of the revival of Namek's people, especially since, as Guru's instrument while his elder was immobile and unable to assist his people directly, Nail felt responsible for helping his people.

Goku finally spoke, his voice hollow, "I thought for sure this would work." His hand lifted to massage the back of his head while he sighed in defeat.

"Even the dragon's power has its limits, young man." Elder Moori sympathetically lamented to Goku.

"But on Earth...we've done it before." Goku looked towards Nail, causing him to startle in surprise at the direct attention. "The Earth's dragon could do it!"

"Speak your wish." Porunga boomed impatiently before Nail or anyone else could respond.

"Grant me," Vegeta called out in response to the dragon, "eternal life!"

His outcry angered Nail as Vegeta attempted to jump ahead the rest of them and make his own wish, which was the only one unaffected by the dragon's expressed limitation.

When Porunga remained unresponsive, causing Vegeta's face to fall in disappointment, Nail smirked at Vegeta. "You'll have to wait your turn, Vegeta."

Nail was amused at Vegeta's expense, though if that wish had worked, he would have been in a much different position. Thankfully though, he didn't have an immortal, evil Saiyan standing before him. If Nail had any say in the matter, that wish would never come to fruition. The other wishes, though-perhaps there was a way those still could.

"The dragon only grants wishes spoken in Namekian." Dende apologetically clarified to Vegeta.

"So speak it, kid!" Vegeta growled as he took a domineering step forward, though fortunately, Goku was there to place a firm, stilling hand on the other Saiyan's shoulder.

Nail immediately shook his head at Dende in refusal. He knew the boy would be willing to speak the wish for Vegeta if Nail approved it, but that wasn't going to happen. Vegeta growled furiously and shook loose from Goku's grip when the boy took a wary step back with a deep frown.

Fortunately, Vegeta turned his anger on Goku. "We had a deal, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled accusingly. "You make your wishes and I make mine. Just because the dragon can't make your lousy wishes doesn't mean I should be held up any longer!"

Goku frowned stubbornly at Vegeta, who clenched his fists and bared his teeth in frustration at Goku's resistance. "Forget about the stupid Earthlings! They're gone, Kakarot! But immortality, that will have a huge payoff, especially once we face Frieza, who-by the way-is probably on his way over here by now!"

Nail scowled at the context of the Saiyans' discussion. If Goku decided to change his wish so he would have immortality as well as Vegeta, then Nail knew he was right to distrust them. They were just the last survivors of a selfish, heartless race.

"No." Goku stubbornly replied as he glared at Vegeta. "I won't forget about the people on Earth! There has to be some way-"

"I think there is." Moori suddenly stated, his interruption causing everyone, even Vegeta, to look at the elder in surprise.

Nail already knew what Moori was thinking, as he had come to the conclusion himself earlier. If Nail was surprised about anything, it was Goku's steadfast determination to resurrect the Earthlings. Perhaps he'd judged that Saiyan too quickly.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked Moori curiously.

Moori smiled knowingly as Nail decided to step forward and do the honors of proposing the excellent idea. "You said the Earth's dragon could revive more than one soul at a time, right?" Goku nodded as Nail continued, "but that dragon is gone now, because his creator died."

"Are you saying that if this great elder you all keep talking about dies," Dodoria said, pointing a black fingernail blatantly up towards Porunga, "this dragon kicks it?"

Porunga scowled down at them. Nail wasn't sure if it was the testing of his patience or the topic of their discussions causing Porunga's discontent, but the dragon certainly didn't look happy. He looked frightening.

"Yes." Nail answered Dodoria curtly before refocusing his attention on Goku. "So, revive the creator, Goku."

"The creator?" Goku blinked in confusion. "You mean wish Kami back?"

"Yes." Nail smiled as he saw realization dawning on Goku's face, as well as the others who hadn't already realized the loophole Nail and Moori had found.

"Then the Earth's Dragonballs will return," Moori explained, "and you can gather them on Earth to revive the Earthlings."

Nail frowned at that. As great as that all sounded for Goku, it didn't solve Namek's problem. It looked like their people who were lost would never return.

"Yes!" Goku beamed at Nail.

Goku's contagious smile caused Nail to unwillingly smile in return. Despite his people's suffering, it was good to know they were doing some good for other innocent people whose lives had been destroyed.

"Do it, Dende!" Goku said. "Wish Kami back to life!"

Dende beamed at Goku, then Nail's smiling face, nodding fervently when he turned to face Porunga. _"Alla taro poro tarunga Kami vivun!"_

"Alright. It shall be done as you wish." Porunga replied before his red eyes glowed brightly and the people all gasped in awe at the expectation that something awesome had just happened. "The one called Kami has been restored to this dimension. Name your second wish."

Vegeta scowled and tapped him finger impatiently on his bicep as he looked insistently at Nail, who frowned at the suggestion. The second wish was supposed to be theirs. It was supposed to be used to revive the murdered Nameks. Now, Nail was unsure what to do with it. He wasn't in a hurry to make the wish, either. Once he did, Vegeta would feel entitled to his wish for immortality.

"We could always restore Namek with the wish." A warrior Namek spoke up hesitantly, before frowning at the reproving looks he received from his brothers for such a suggestion. "I know we can't revive anyone, but the villages, the land, the planet itself have been harmed by these...attacks."

The warrior obviously couldn't resist casting reproving glares at the aliens in their presence, which Nail completely understood. Nail nodded in somber agreement. If their wish couldn't restore the lives of the lost Namekians, improving the lives of the surviving ones was the next best thing Porunga could do for them.

"Vegeta," Goku addressed his Saiyan companion animatedly, "how long will it take our pods to get to Earth from here?"

As Nail nodded to Dende in agreement with Namek's proposed wish, Vegeta shrugged indifferently before answering Goku, "judging by how long it took Raditz to return from there, my guess is a week or two." Vegeta answered disinterestedly as Dende spoke the wish for Namek's restoration.

"Two weeks?" Goku whined while Porunga listened to Dende's second wish, "I don't know if I can wait that long."

Rumbling vibrations occurred beneath their feet as Porunga's eyes glowed red. Nail and the other Nameks gasped with pleased surprise at the outcome. Their planet was being restored, not only to its former condition, but with improvements they had struggled to make on their own over the past years, as the lush green of hundreds of sprouting Ajisa trees bloomed visibly in the distance as far as they could see, in every direction.

"I have granted your second wish." Porunga informed. "Planet Namek has been restored. Now, speak your final wish."

Nail smiled in relief at the beauty of their planet he could now take in for miles around. Nail levitated in the air to get a better view, taking in the lush vegetation and restored villages that had been decimated and blown to pieces prior to the wish. They could definitely carry on and continue their peaceful lives from here. They would mourn the losses of their brothers, but Namek was not lost. Nail smiled down towards Dende and Cargot, surprised to find Dende already distracted by Goku whispering mischievously to him.

Vegeta's attention was focused towards the sky, on Porunga as he smiled expectantly. "Now, make my wish, kid!" Vegeta arrogantly ordered Dende, raising his chin high as he awaited the satisfaction of immortality.

Dende startled at Vegeta's address as he hurriedly stepped away from Goku. As Dende nodded in agreement, Nail tensed. He didn't know to whom Dende was nodding, Goku or Vegeta, yet the anticipation of Vegeta being granted his immortality had Nail seething already. Nail narrowed his eyes at Goku. That Saiyan had better know what he was doing, going along with such a reckless idea.

Vegeta also narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Goku, when he realized the other Saiyan had directed the child somehow. Dende spoke the wish in Namekian, while Goku cast a mischievous smile in Vegeta's direction. Vegeta glared furiously at the look as Dende finished speaking the wish with utterance of Goku's name. Nail smiled in relief at hearing the wish. He chuckled openly at Vegeta's expense as Porunga nodded in agreement with the wish which by now, Vegeta had realized was not for his immortality.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled furiously as Porunga announced to Dende that he would grant the wish. "You traitor!"

Goku chuckled guiltily as Vegeta lunged at him, punching at the other Saiyan's face, which Goku just barely dodged as a grimace crossed his face."Sorry, Vegeta!" Goku called as he blocked another punch from the furious Saiyan prince. "I had to!"

He opened his mouth to speak further as Vegeta growled furiously, his eyes twitching with rage like Nail had never seen before. But Goku's words never came, as he suddenly dematerialized right before their eyes. Nail's eyes bulged in alarm at the sight of such a sudden disappearance, even though he knew it was coming.

Vegeta flew through the open air where Goku had been, stopping himself abruptly in mid-air at some distance as he controlled the force he had been using with that attack to stop himself from catapulting into the waters below.

"Your third wish is granted. The one called Goku has been transported to Earth." Porunga said as the red glow faded from his eyes.

Vegeta yelled furiously as his aura exploded around him, causing Guru's tower to quake with instability from the force while the waters below crashed harsher than they had when Porunga was summoned. At the same time, a glow encompassed Porunga's entire, massive body, as well as the Dragonballs.

"I have fulfilled all three wishes. I am finished here." Porunga announced before he flew away into the atmosphere with a yellow glow engulfing him until he completely disappeared from sight.

"No!" Vegeta screamed as the Dragonballs levitated into the air together and scattered in one explosive burst.

Vegeta's scream of fury resounded even louder as he witnessed the disappearance of Namek's Dragonballs. Nail glared hostilely at the powerful Saiyan. With Goku gone, Vegeta could be a real threat to Namek. Nail peered scrupulously at Dodoria, who lingered, staring where Goku previously stood with a deep frown of disappointment. Perhaps, if that alien was willing, he could help Nail protect Namek from suffering the brunt of Vegeta's fury. Nail wouldn't rely on his help, though.

Dodoria looked up to meet Nail's gaze, as if sensing Nail's eyes on him. "He could've wished to send _me_ there with him." Dodoria complained petulantly. "Selfish bastard."

Nail frowned briefly at Dodoria before refocusing his attention on the betrayed Saiyan. Vegeta required Nail's attention much more than Dodoria did, especially as Vegeta flashed inches in front of Nail, demanding Nail's attention as he glared hostilely in his face.

"You and your people will gather those balls again and make my wish." Vegeta growled in a low, domineering tone.

Nail wrinkled his nose in disapproval of Vegeta's order. "Sorry, Vegeta. That's impossible."

"Do it!" Vegeta yelled as he grabbed threateningly to hold Nail by the lapel of his robes, which Nail allowed as he laughed in Vegeta's face.

"The Dragonballs will not regenerate again for another year. They are useless stones right now." Nail smirked as Vegeta visibly processed that information with blatant disappointment.

Nail reached for Vegeta's hand gripping his robes and harshly tore it away. "I suggest you leave Namek, Vegeta." Nail warned with a deep scowl. "While we're still friends."

Vegeta glared as he growled in a low rumble and looked off into the distance. But then he opened his palm and set his intense gaze on Nail and the others standing behind him, as if prepping to attack. Nail grunted in alarm at the threatening sight before he tensed and readied himself for a fight.

Vegeta growled as he hurled a ball of ki into the distance, destroying a mountaintop which was fortunately uninhabited and undeveloped. As he relaxed his hand and stood upright with a dismissive raise of his chin, Vegeta sneered at Nail. "I _will_ leave this pathetic planet. It's no good to me now without the Dragonballs."

As Vegeta turned to leave, Nail sighed in relief and called to Vegeta before he could take off. "Go in peace, Vegeta. Just like you're leaving us."

Though all he really wanted to do was attack that Saiyan for all the unnecessary devastation he had brought about on Namek, Nail was asserting his thankfulness for Vegeta's choice of avoiding further bloodshed the nicest way he could. Vegeta slowly levitated into the sky as he glanced over his shoulder at Nail and the other Nameks with a sadistic smile. "Peace?" Vegeta snorted. "You think you'll have peace here when Frieza arrives?"

Nail frowned deeply at Vegeta's threatening suggestion. From what he'd heard of this Frieza, after everything that had just happened, the last thing Nail wanted was Frieza coming to Namek.

"The only reason I'm not killing you or any of your pathetic species," Vegeta noted in a snide tone, "is because I have bigger fish to fry...and I know Frieza will take care of you soon enough. When he gets here, you should tell Frieza where to find me and Kakarot. If you're lucky, he _might_ let you live." Vegeta threw his head back and laughed. Then, in a blazing white blast, Vegeta zoomed out of sight as Nail bit his lip with frustration.

"Don't believe that." Dodoria said from Nail's left, shaking his head in disapproval as he watched Vegeta disappear. Dodoria met Nail's gaze and raised his brows insistently. "If Frieza comes here, you're all as good as dead. That's why I'm getting the hell off this planet." Dodoria placed his hands on his hips as he set his gaze on the horizon. "I prefer you don't tell Frieza where we ran off to, but I'd be surprised if Frieza doesn't realize it himself. Goku was always going on about that planet Earth. It'd better be everything he talked about, to be worth the trouble of this shitstorm he started with Frieza." Dodoria sighed heavily and then, without lingering or even offering a gesture or word of goodbye, Dodoria launched off in the same manner Vegeta had.

Dende gave Nail's pant leg a gentle, attention grabbing tug. "Nail, they're not coming back...are they?"

Nail smiled down at Dende, and then Cargot standing beside him. The poor kids actually looked like they were disappointed that those heartless aliens left without proper goodbyes. "No, kids." Nail answered, before a wary frown crossed his face. "At least, I hope not."

If any of their new acquaintances ever did return to Namek, they would likely be pursuing trouble, which would most likely be in the form of this terrible Frieza. Nail only hoped Namek never landed in the middle of the fallout that was sure to result from all of this, as Dodoria and Vegeta predicted.

One thing was for certain, though. Nail would be prepared next time. If anyone ever _did_ decide to invade their planet again, Nail would do everything in his power to protect it. Namek was just as they wanted it now, and Nail planned to keep it that way. For Guru's sake, and for everyone else's, Nail would strengthen Namek against any further threats from outsiders.

* * *

Greenish grass. Blue sky. A bright, burning, yellow sun. It looked enough like Earth, aside from the quiet, the lack of life force, the wilting of all the trees, and the rubble of destroyed buildings he could see in the distance.

Goku's heart wrenched as he took it all in. It was bittersweet to be back on Earth again while seeing its latest condition-the painful reality of what happened there months ago at Raditz's hand. Goku stared in awe as he stood on the peak of a hill, for the first time in his life feeling out of place on Earth. Hopefully, that feeling would fade once everyone was back.

Goku raised his gaze towards the sky, inclining his chin in the direction where he did sense some life force. At least he knew his wish had been fulfilled. But there was no time to celebrate that minor success. There was still work to do, and not much time to do it in. Goku launched into the sky, using his superior speed to fly to the Lookout in a matter of seconds. When he reached it, the familiar sight of a robed figure standing there, leaning on his wooden, gnarled staff, nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Kami!" Goku yelled out as he neared, drawing an alarmed look from the old man who turned around to face him in wide-eyed surprise.

"Goku?"

"Kami!" Goku laughed as his feet hit the white tiles of the Lookout, one of the first structures he'd sighted on Earth since his return that still looked as it did when he left it.

"Goku," Kami repeated, blinking in alarm before he narrowed his gaze astutely at Goku, "is that really you?"

Goku contorted his brows in confusion. He didn't expect such a reaction from Kami, and at first had no idea what Kami could see different about him. But as Kami took a wary step back from Goku's approach, Goku frowned in realization. When Kami frowned fearfully at Goku's frowning face, Goku sighed and shook his head.

"You've become...so much more powerful." Kami uttered in awe.

"Yeah." Goku agreed bluntly.

He forced a smile as he met Kami's gaze and held back on everything _else_ he could say about what he'd become. He had a feeling Kami knew already how he had changed, so Goku would leave it at that. Besides, someone was coming. Goku needed to be prepared to greet their visitor. He turned expectantly towards the direction from which the power level was coming, as Kami did the same, standing right behind him.

"Goku..." Kami said warmly as he placed a hand lightly on Goku's shoulder.

Goku felt relief at the reassurance conveyed through Kami's touch. He sighed before he promised the guardian, "don't worry, Kami. Piccolo can't hurt me."

Kami grunted in agreement as the flying figure with its billowing cape came into view from the edge of the Lookout. "I was more worried about _you_ hurting _him_." Kami grumbled as Piccolo descended, to land on the lookout a few feet away with a cold stare.

"Goku."

"Piccolo." Goku smirked at his green enemy, finding himself strangely just as pleased to see him as he was to see Kami again.

Piccolo indicated Kami with a curt raise of his chin. "I see you resurrected Kami somehow." Goku's smirk widened as Piccolo narrowed his gaze astutely at Goku. "You probably never considered that you'd be resurrecting _me_ as well."

"Honestly, no. I didn't." Goku admitted, causing Piccolo to chuckle darkly in amusement.

"Still blunt as ever." Piccolo scoffed before a look of curiosity crossed his face. "How long has it been?"

Goku lowered his brows seriously at the question. "Too long. _Months_." He looked to Kami, then Piccolo. "I could use your help."

"Our help?" Kami rasped in surprise.

"Why would I want to help you?" Piccolo sneered. "You're the reason that alien came to this planet and killed me in the first place!"

Goku ignored Piccolo's resentful attitude as he continued, "I need to collect the Dragonballs, so I can wish everyone back to life who was killed by my brother."

"He was your _brother_?" Kami breathed in disbelief.

"Why didn't you revive everyone _already_? Why just Kami?" Piccolo asked suspiciously as he crossed his arms.

"I don't have time to get into that." Goku said abrasively as he realized they were wasting time.

Piccolo and Kami both balked in surprise at Goku's changed demeanor.

"There are more people coming to Earth," Goku explained, "powerful people who are pretty angry with me. I need to wish everyone back before they get here."

" _Your_ power has certainly grown." Piccolo remarked resentfully as he looked Goku up and down. "And you're saying there are more coming here, as powerful as you?"

"Not as powerful as _me_." Goku boasted smugly, concealing the frown that threatened to cross his face when the consideration of Frieza following him to Earth briefly crossed his mind. "But a lot more powerful than you, Piccolo."

" _And_ all of your pathetic friends." Piccolo gruffly retorted.

"Right." Goku agreed bluntly, ignoring the insult to his friends. "That's why we need to wish them back as soon as possible, so they have a chance to train before everyone else arrives here. So, will you two help me so I can summon the dragon?"

"I really should stay here, Goku." Kami quickly said with a frown. "I wouldn't want to risk you losing the Dragonballs again, if anything should happen to me. At least here, my life will be preserved." Kami narrowed his eyes accusingly at Piccolo. "As long as Piccolo stays alive this time."

"Old man," Piccolo scowled as he uttered the words hatefully, " _No one_ on the planet stood a chance against that alien freak, not even your precious Goku."

"Piccolo?" Goku interrupted hopefully. "Will you do it?"

Piccolo scoffed in what seemed to be disagreement, until his eyes met Goku's. "Yeah. What choice do I have? If I don't, I'll be spending the rest of my days with the likes of _you two_." Piccolo looked meaningfully at Kami, then Goku, with disdain clearly written on his face. "Which won't be long, according to what you claim, if I don't improve my odds. Maybe after some training, when this alien scum is taken care of, and then _you_ , the Earth will still be worth conquering."

"Yeah." Goku laughed. "Good luck with that." Goku turned to face the edge of the Lookout, trying to decipher which way to West City from there. Without any ki to sense, the location was much harder to find. But given that he'd received Piccolo's agreement, the next step required a device, which he could only hope hadn't been destroyed in the purge.

Once Goku chose a direction from memory, he glanced over his shoulder to smile at Piccolo. "Besides, I wouldn't judge aliens so harshly if I were you. You're aliens, too." Goku laughed at the shocked expressions that crossed Kami and Piccolo's faces as they met each other's gazes in mutual surprise.

Then Goku jumped off the edge of the Lookout, waving a hand over his shoulder. "Come on, Piccolo! This way!" Goku called as he free fell, feeling excited about a new Dragonball hunt, even if they were pressed for time and his sole companion for the adventure had been his greatest enemy on Earth.

He was just happy to be back on Earth, happy that Kami was back, and happy to know that soon everyone else would be, too. Goku could finally right the wrong that was done to Earth nearly a year ago, by his own brother.

Goku flew ahead without looking back, knowing Piccolo would follow. Piccolo had every reason to help Goku right now. He just had no idea how dire the situation would truly be. There was no doubt in Goku's mind that Frieza would catch up with him at some point. Vegeta possibly sooner. But he would worry about that later. For now, it was time to work on reviving everyone Raditz killed.

* * *

A/N: So Shenron can't revive people who have been revived before, which leaves Krillin, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi as unresurrectable by Shenron. Just want to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about that.


	23. Be Prepared

The gaping hole in the ceiling held his attention as he stood within the ruins of what used to be a famous structure in West City.

Not that there wasn't the distraction of bustling activity happening around him.

He just couldn't stand the sight of a hyper Goku darting around in search of some stupid piece of technology. At the moment, Piccolo was questioning this decision to help his greatest enemy. Yet every time he considered walking away, he knew he'd end up right back here anyways. Given his current options of staying with Goku or leaving to await his inevitable second death upon the arrival of more alien invaders, a return to Hell almost seemed preferable.

Piccolo growled under his breath as Goku darted by so close that Piccolo needed to leap back to avoid getting bowled over by Goku's passing blast of aura and power. What was more displeasing than Goku's lack of consideration for where he was standing, was knowing that the immense power he was sensing from Goku barely scratched the surface of his power.

 _How_ could Goku have gained so much power over him in less than a year?

So Goku wasn't human. Piccolo learned that much before he died at the hands of a Saiyan. He also saw what they were capable of. It explained how that man was capable of defeating his father when he was just a boy. It explained how _he_ was subsequently defeated by Goku as well. He always knew it was impossible for a human to defeat him.

Now all Piccolo wanted was a chance to turn the tables, but it didn't look like that would be plausible anytime in the near future. Piccolo crossed his arms tightly as he spanned the large, literally wide-open room in Capsule Corporation for any sign of where Goku went. Goku moved so damn fast that his movements were impossible to follow.

Piccolo twisted his lip in displeasure when he sighted Goku digging through a pile of charred, electronic rubble. This was getting ridiculous. He recalled Goku saying they didn't have much time before more powerful aliens were coming, likely to destroy the Earth. Piccolo didn't want to waste any more valuable time standing here-time which would be better spent training.

He considered taking off to train and leave Goku to his Dragonball hunt, but he felt pretty certain that Goku would only follow him and nag him into helping again, thereby wasting even more time. Piccolo couldn't risk wasting time. He needed that time to train and become stronger. No aliens were going to kill him; no aliens were going to kill Goku if Piccolo could help it. He still had a score to settle with that Saiyan, as well as his brother, if Raditz was still alive.

If Piccolo could only strive for a level of power like Goku's... _oh,_ what he could do with that kind of power. Piccolo smirked to himself with his wayward thought until Goku blasted in front of him, stopping face to face with Piccolo and causing Piccolo's brief smile to fade.

"I can't find it."

"You knew this woman for _how_ many years?" Piccolo growled. "And you never _once_ bothered to ask where she keeps this thing?"

"Nah." Goku crossed his arms and looked pensively towards the exposed sky. "Whenever I asked Bulma for the Dragon Radar, she always seemed to just pull it out of her pocket."

Piccolo lowered his chin in disbelief. "So she kept it on her."

As Goku blinked in realization, Piccolo rolled his eyes. "So we'll find it where she died, not where she lived."

"Oh, yeah!"

Piccolo scoffed. At least now he knew exactly where to find this radar that would help them locate the Dragonballs.

Months ago, after his chilling first encounter with Earth's invader, Piccolo had followed him to that isolated island, overhearing everything Goku's older brother from space revealed to Goku and his friends. Then Goku had left the island with Raditz, with the intentions of leaving Earth. It wasn't long after Piccolo left that island, planning to take advantage of Goku's convenient desertion of Earth, when the elder brother ambushed him in mid-air. Raditz's overwhelming power destroyed him there before Piccolo's plans of conquest could ever be satisfied.

If the radar was with the blue-haired, sniveling woman at that time, then Piccolo knew he would find it on that island. Piccolo knew Goku's friends wouldn't have had a chance to leave the island before being attacked, as Raditz most likely made _them_ his second target.

From what he recalled of his own violent death, and seeing the condition and evidence of what happened in West City, Piccolo assumed Goku wouldn't handle seeing the carnage left on that island too well. Assuming Goku's emotions would only waste more precious time, Piccolo decisively turned his back to Goku with the intentions of heading there alone.

"Hey, wait!"

Piccolo stopped. "Are we collecting Dragonballs or not?"

"Yeah, but..." Goku's voice softened, "where are you going?"

"To your friend's island...to get that radar."

Piccolo didn't know why, but his own voice softened as he spoke...towards _Goku_ , of all people. Maybe he actually felt bad for the guy. As much as he hated Goku, imagining him at that island struck him as a pathetic scene. Goku likely already mourned the humans months ago. To see the destruction that remained in the wake of their deaths now would likely reopen old wounds for Goku, and Piccolo didn't want to be the one to deal with that mess.

"Good." Goku said. "Let's go."

Piccolo's eyes widened in surprise at the absence of the emotion he expected to hear from Goku, but he quickly recovered. "No. We should split up."

"Split up?" Goku complained.

"We'll collect the Dragonballs faster this way."

"How am I supposed to find Dragonballs without th-"

When Goku stopped speaking abruptly, Piccolo turned around in curiosity. He was surprised to see a look of realization crossing Goku's face.

"That's right!" Goku exclaimed as he pounded a fist in his palm. "I already had three Dragonballs collected before I left Earth. Those three should be at Mt. Paozu-except for the one on Gohan's hat." Goku met Piccolo's gaze with a serious look. "Along with the Dragon Radar, you'll probably find the four-star ball on Kame Island, Piccolo."

Piccolo grunted in understanding and gave Goku a curt nod.

"I'll go to Mt. Paozu to collect the others." Goku smirked. "Then I'll find you to gather the rest."

Piccolo furrowed his brows at the sight of Goku's smirk. Maybe his old enemy wasn't as emotional about all of this as he'd expected. Goku seemed more like a man on a mission than someone desperate to revive lost loved ones.

Just as Goku was turning to leave, Piccolo called his name. "Goku."

Goku relaxed from his tensed launching position to turn and grunt curiously at Piccolo.

"These aliens coming to Earth...are they more Saiyans, like your brother?"

"There's only one Saiyan left besides me now, but yeah," Goku chuckled wryly, "he's coming, alright."

Piccolo smirked as he realized the implication of that. Though Goku didn't say it, the look he was giving Piccolo made it clear that the Saiyan who had purged the Earth was dead. It was good to know Raditz met his end, though Piccolo was sorry he'd missed his chance to cross paths with him in the afterlife.

"Goku," Piccolo paused briefly with anticipation, "did you kill your brother?"

"Yes." Goku answered definitively.

Piccolo nodded. He'd have to be satisfied enough that someone from Earth got their vengeance against that Saiyan. Then Piccolo narrowed his gaze at Goku as another thought crossed his mind. "These aliens coming to Earth...are any of them like me and Kami?"

"Huh?" Goku raised his brows in blatant surprise before shaking his head. "No. The Nameks are staying on their home planet. They're pretty peaceful. They're not like you _at all_ , Piccolo."

As Goku smirked, Piccolo once again lowered his brows as he resumed his original train of thought. "So...these aliens...they're really strong, huh?"

Goku's smirk widened in answer, as Piccolo expected it would.

Piccolo smiled. "You're looking forward to this fight."

Though Goku didn't say anything, the look in his eyes was all the confirmation Piccolo needed. The last time he saw that look on Goku's face was during their fight at the World Martial Arts Tournament.

When Goku turned and launched in the air to head towards Mt. Paozu, Piccolo chuckled. If Goku was looking forward to this fight, then Piccolo was looking forward to witnessing it, possibly participating if he could find a way to increase his power enough before the aliens arrived. He'd look forward to having another go at a Saiyan. Maybe he could get a variation of revenge against Raditz by taking it out on the last surviving members of his race.

Piccolo still didn't know what good the humans would be to them in all of this. They were better off being resurrected _after_ the alien threat was thwarted. But if Goku was going to be hung up on them until they were wished back, Piccolo would just as soon get the wish out of the way so he could get on with his training.

With that in mind, Piccolo launched into the air at full speed towards Kame Island to begin collecting Dragonballs. Because now Piccolo was more determined than ever to get his training started. He wasn't going to stand by and let aliens destroy the Earth for a second time.

This time, he was going to live.

* * *

 _"Captain Ginyu!"_

Dodoria awoke in wide-eyed alarm to the scathing, familiar voice being mechanically filtered into his pod.

"Captain Ginyu?" Dodoria balked in confusion before catching himself. "Y-yes...Lord Frieza?"

 _"Why haven't you returned with those Saiyans yet?!"_ Frieza yelled _. "And why aren't you or the rest of your men answering your scouters?"_

"S-scouters..." Dodoria grumbled before realization dawned on him, "ohhhh…those were destroyed in battle, Lord Frieza."

 _"Ginyu..."_ Frieza paused, _"your voice sounds different."_

Dodoria gulped again as his eyes darted rapidly side to side in panic. He could only see the interior of his pod, with the flashing light on the panel indicating Frieza's incoming communication, and the black expanse of starry space outside his domed pod window.

He shifted in his seat, growling in annoyance when one of his long, black horns bumped hard against the top of the pod. He'd have to find a way to get used to those things, not to mention the cumbersome height of Ginyu's body. That was, after all, the reason for his selection of Ginyu's pod for the trip to Earth. It was custom-fitted to the large body, plus better-equipped than the others.

 _"Captain Ginyu!"_

Dodoria grimaced. "Y-yes, Lord F-Frieza!"

 _"I'm losing my patience. Do I need to come there myself?"_

"No! Don't come here, Lord Frieza!"

 _"I'm realizing I should have. I thought your force was elite and reliable, Ginyu, but I am incredibly disappointed by this lack of result."_ Frieza growled his last words, causing Dodoria to shudder.

There had only been a handful of times Dodoria had heard the tyrant use that tone, and each time Frieza was that angry, entire planets had been obliterated. Having been part of it, he knew all too well. He did not want to be anywhere near Frieza for a long time now.

 _"I've decided. When I get there, Ginyu, if you can't deliver those monkeys to me, you and your men can consider yourselves relieved of duty. Permanently."_

Dodoria's teeth chattered as a wave of panic rushed through his body. "N-no, please, Lord Frieza! You don't need to follow us! We'll come to you!"

 _"I'll arrive at Namek within two weeks. Think you can keep the Saiyans under control for that long?"_ Frieza asked skeptically.

Dodoria gawked and blinked. "Namek? You're going _there_?"

At Frieza's dubious grunt, Dodoria quickly amended his statement. "I-I mean _here_!" He chuckled nervously. "Yes, you can find us here, on _Namek_. The remaining Ginyu Force members and both of the Saiyans." Dodoria heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes in relief.

 _"I'm surprised you haven't mentioned Zarbon and Dodoria."_ Frieza mused suspiciously.

Dodoria grimaced again. "Zarbon and Dodoria? Uh..."

 _"They did come to Namek, didn't they?"_

"I can't say that I've seen them, Lord Frieza."

 _"Well, if you do...kill them."_

Dodoria bit his lip hard. "Oh! K-kill Dodoria and Zarbon?" He cleared his throat. "Why?"

Hesitation, before Frieza answered in a low, warning tone _. "Those fools allowed the Saiyans to escape my grasp and then failed to retrieve them. They don't deserve to live any longer, in my_ humble _opinion. And,"_ Frieza said angrily, _"that is the last time I allow you to question me, Ginyu. Think before you address me again."_

"Yes, Lord Frieza!" Dodoria sputtered. "Th-the Ginyu Force will...have a silly sort of welcoming dance ready to celebrate your arrival, Lord Frieza."

As Dodoria grimaced at his terrible impression of the fruity captain, Frieza groaned. _"Don't. If you and your men value your lives, Captain Ginyu, you'll save me and yourselves the embarrassment."_

"R-right, Lord Frieza!"

 _"Two weeks, Ginyu."_ Frieza said. _"I don't care if you have to wrangle up some monkey food on that worthless planet in the meantime, but those Saiyans better be alive when I get there, so I can make them suffer long, agonizing deaths by my hand for all the trouble they've caused me."_

"Yes, Lord Frieza. Understood." Dodoria breathed a sigh of relief when a tone played in the pod, informing him of his communication having ended.

They were safe for the time being, but Dodoria knew there would be no escaping Frieza for long. Once on Earth, he'd have to warn Goku and find some plan to stay alive. Because now Dodoria knew, by the time Frieza was done with Namek, he was _really_ going to be furious. No one would be safe from his wrath.

Too bad for Namek, though. Eh. He couldn't care less about those peace-loving green men. Destroying Namek would hopefully quell Frieza's anger; maybe give him the chance to simmer down before he made his way to Earth.

Dodoria crossed his arms with a pensive grimace. Maybe following Goku to Earth wasn't as great an idea as he thought. The death sentence of facing Frieza would follow Goku wherever he went. Ironically, Dodoria couldn't help feeling that Goku's side was the safest place to be. Especially now that Dodoria knew Frieza wanted him dead. There would be no going back, not even as Captain Ginyu after Frieza arrived on Namek to discover his lie.

At least Goku seemed more capable to Dodoria than anyone else in the universe of standing up against Lord Frieza...aside from the God of destruction himself. Dodoria chuckled with the absurdity of that stray thought. Lord Beerus was perhaps more likely to kill them than Frieza. There would be no hiding behind _his_ protection, which left Goku as the only viable option. Goku was his only hope at survival now.

Dodoria groaned as his stomach churned at the realization. "Ah, shit. We're all going to die."

* * *

Something was approaching the Earth. Kami could sense amazing power from the approach, though he was having trouble deciphering the nature of the power. The energies both felt very dark, not much different than what he surprisingly sensed from Goku when he first approached the Lookout. But like Goku, Kami sensed light there as well. It was as if the beings approaching were warring with themselves.

Maybe, if they were lucky, no harm would come to the Earth this time. If anyone could convince these invaders to show the Earth mercy, Kami knew that person would be Goku. However, Goku was the one so convinced that the Earth was in danger from these invaders.

Kami hummed pensively as he gave a singular tap of his cane against the tile of the Lookout. It was puzzling, how Goku could be convinced that these people would harm the Earth, when years ago, he had been the only one willing to show mercy to an evil as pure as Piccolo. Had Goku's months away from Earth changed him that much? Or did these aliens have more evil behind them that Kami couldn't sense? Maybe their grievance was with Goku, and not the Earth. Kami wished he knew what had transpired in space while he was dead. The only thing he knew for certain was that Goku had changed quite a bit.

Black clouds rolled in and lightning flashed across the sky, drawing Kami's attention from his distant musings to his location at the Lookout. The blackening sky caused him to gasp as he looked over the edge to see the world below being smothered in darkness.

It had only taken a night and half of a day. Amazingly, the only two men on Earth, who happened to be sworn enemies, seemed to be getting along well enough. It was astounding what difference a common goal and the approach of a common enemy could make between rivals. But he hadn't expected this level of cooperation between the pair.

"So soon?" Kami breathed in disbelief as he turned his head slowly, taking in the flashes of lightning and panorama of darkness surrounding him. Without a doubt, they had done it. In the distance towards the west, the familiar winding length of a dragon's body infiltrated the sky.

Cutting through the silence overwhelming the distance of the very still Earth, Shenron's fearsome roar met Kami's sensitive ears. " _Why have you summoned me? Tell me your wish now."_

Kami gulped and tightened his grip around his cane, staring at the dragon weaving through the air over the distant horizon. The Earthlings would be revived so Kami could guard the Earth once again. They didn't have long before the two beings approaching the Earth would arrive. What significant gains Goku could hope to accomplish in that short time, Kami could not fathom.

 _"So be it. Your wish has been granted."_

As lightning flashed again across the sky, Kami took a deep breath, then released a heavy sigh. "I hope you know what you're doing, Goku."

Kami gasped in alarm when a hand clasped his shoulder. As the dark clouds in the surrounding sky began receding to reveal a slimmer of sunlight, Kami turned around to see a familiar, teary-eyed face looking up at him. "Mr. Popo!"

Mr. Popo's teary eyes twinkled as he beamed at the Earth's guardian. "Kami, we're alive!"


	24. Reunions

A/N: I have to say, I really, really missed Krillin and Master Roshi not being here when I wrote this chapter! Also, I have to warn you all, this is a long one.

As far as the dead Z-fighters training with King Kai, it sounds like an exciting way to bring the other characters up to snuff with their power levels. However, it couldn't have taken Raditz that long to purge the Earth, and it took Goku many months to travel down Snake Way just to get to King Kai's planet. The others would've realized there was no chance for the Z-fighters to make it to King Kai's in time to save the Earth from Raditz. However, Kami or King Yemma might have decided to offer them King Kai's training in the afterlife solely for their own benefit. Whether the Z-fighters would be willing to go down Snake Way to train with King Kai in favor of other ways they could enjoy their time in the afterlife is questionable. This chapter intentionally leaves whether they underwent that training vague, leaving me room to think further on it for now. Feel free to give me your thoughts on that if you have a suggestion.

As far as how Goku and Piccolo would have worded their wish to Shenron, I see Goku having a one-track mind in regards to that wish, having been set on wishing back "everyone Raditz killed on Earth", before he might've thought of making the wish more all-encompassing with the wording. However, seeing his quick thinking in the anime when he was fighting Frieza on Namek and intercepted King Kai's wish telepathically in mid-fight, and his thinking to bring Dende back to Earth during the Cell saga so people could be wished back afterwards, I could understand an argument FOR Goku being considerate enough to wish to revive all killed. But then again, if he wished back everyone killed by Frieza and his men, that would include people HE killed, which would revive his purge victims, the Ginyu Force, and most importantly Raditz, and he wouldn't want that.

Also, I would love to respond individually to all of you, but then it would take me another day or so to get this chapter published, and I don't want to keep you waiting since I can't post tomorrow. But thank you so much for all the feedback, I love reading it!

* * *

As the sky returned to a shade of pale blue, Goku looked at his surroundings. He rubbed the back of his head with guilt when he belatedly took notice of the decimated buildings and massive damage of the city in which he stood. Maybe they should have included some sort of restoration of the world in the wish, but it was too late for that now. Earth would just have to rebuild.

Piccolo frowned. "Where are all the people?"

"Uh…"

Goku blinked when the city before him-the location of the final Dragonball and subsequently Shenron's summoning-continued to appear and feel empty. Maybe this particular city had been evacuated before Raditz killed everyone. Judging by the deserted line of cars down the highway all headed away from the city, that looked likely. But just because there was no one here, didn't mean no one came back to life. Distantly, he sensed life forces. The people of Earth had definitely been revived. It was just a matter of knowing where to find them.

"I know!" Goku exclaimed. "Let's go, Piccolo!"

"Go whe-"

"Nimbus!" As the familiar, fluffy yellow cloud swooped in from the sky, Goku smiled. "Look, Piccolo! Nimbus is alive!" He laughed as he jumped, expecting the soft landing that was so familiar and so foreign all at once. He felt like it had been forever since he'd seen his old, reliable friend.

"Are you talking about the _cloud_?"

As Piccolo spoke, Goku's feet fell through the yellow, weightless fluff. Goku yelped as he landed hard on the ground. When the cloud darted aside, reforming in completion after the hole Goku's body had just formed in its center, Piccolo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I've never seen you fall through that thing before."

Goku _never_ fell through Nimbus before. Then again, 'before' was such a big word now. So much had happened since leaving Earth that apparently changed him more than he realized. Quickly, he recovered from his shock and jumped to his feet, brushing off Piccolo's suspicions with a wide smile. "Oh, well."

"Let's get moving. I'd like to start training before these other invaders arrive."

Goku stepped and hesitated, taking a moment to curiously observe Nimbus hovering behind him. Then he turned to see Piccolo's impatient glare. Goku clenched a fist as his brows lowered. "Right! Follow me, Piccolo!"

Goku didn't wait for Piccolo's response as he propelled himself into the air. When he zoomed out of the city, with Piccolo gaining by his side, Goku closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the gush of wind against his face, the warmth of the sun on his skin and the thrill of flying without the risk of danger or the task of hunting someone down.

It was so peaceful. He had forgotten how beautiful and wonderful Earth could be. After so much time spent in dark space and on bizarre alien planets, constantly being surrounded by carnage and destruction, the light, bright atmosphere of Earth was extremely refreshing.

"Just where are we going?" Piccolo grumbled, disrupting Goku from his moment as Goku opened his eyes and looked beside him. Piccolo's arms were tightly crossed as he flew with a scowl on his face.

Goku snorted in amusement. "Kame house."

Piccolo grunted in realization.

"Gohan and my friends died there, right?" Goku said. "If the wish revived everyone, they should be there now, and it's not too far from here."

"Fine. Then once you've told them what's going on, you've got something special in mind for training, right?"

Goku winced before forcing a smile at Piccolo. "Right."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at Goku, but Goku didn't need to explain the whole situation to Piccolo yet. His attention was diverted to what he could feel just ahead. When he turned his gaze forward and recognized the speck on the horizon with three figures on its beach, Goku smiled triumphantly, "We're here."

Goku sped to the island and descended to touch down on the moist sands near the shoreline, with a little monkey-tailed boy jumping into his arms. "Daddy!"

Goku stumbled backwards at the soft collision that happened before both feet even hit the sand. "Gohan."

Gohan's small hands tightened around Goku's back. His son was in his arms. Goku thought he'd never feel that tiny warmth again. Goku hadn't even had the chance to see his son's face yet as it was firmly nestled against the hard armor plate covering his chest.

"Daddy," Gohan sniffled, "I thought I'd never see you again."

Goku smiled as he ruffled a hand through Gohan's black mess of hair, prompting his son to look at him. "Well, I'm back now!"

" _Yeah!_ " Snapped a feminine, angry voice, "a little too late, you know!"

Goku grimaced as he looked past his son to see the woman storming irately towards him. "Bulma?"

"I _died_ , Goku!" Bulma's eyes watered as her bottom lip trembled with her face only inches from Goku's. "Why didn't you come back?"

Goku frowned at the sight of his long-time friend, before looking away from her. He couldn't look Bulma in the eyes while remembering that fateful day. During his early days under Frieza's regime, he had spent too much time thinking about what he could have done differently that day. She had no idea what he'd been through since then. None of them had any idea. Without realizing it, Goku had turned his despondent frown into an intense glower.

At Goku's feet, there was the sound of shifting sand and a deep-timbred voice. "I'm sure Goku would've come back for us if he could."

Goku looked towards his friends again, surprised by Turtle's defense.

"If I were you," Piccolo said to Bulma, "I'd show Goku a little appreciation. He's the one who decided to revive you."

Bulma's eyes widened at the sight of Piccolo standing on the beach only feet from Goku, as if she was just realizing he was there.

When Bulma whimpered and stepped warily behind Goku and Gohan, Piccolo glowered directly at her. "For what purpose, I don't know." He exchanged a glance with Goku before adding, "if it were up to me, I'd let you rot a while longer."

Bulma gasped as she clutched the back of Goku's armor. "Goku, what's _he_ doing here?"

Goku raised his brows and glanced over his shoulder at Bulma. "Piccolo? He's okay, Bulma. He helped me wish everyone back."

When Bulma raised a brow incredulously at him, Goku turned away from her, clutching his squirming son tighter in his arms as he looked at the rest of the island. Kame house was destroyed beyond the Krillin-sized hole Goku remembered Raditz making in the wall. The destruction had his imagination running wild with speculation of what could have transpired after Raditz returned to the island.

Just as Goku was about to ask about it, Gohan's soft voice took his attention. "Daddy, I didn't mean to hurt anybody."

Goku looked down at his son and raised his brows in surprise. "Hm?"

Gohan bit his lip. "The Saiyan...Raditz...he..."

Goku smiled at the memory of what Raditz told him about Gohan before he died. "Shhh, Gohan. He's gone now. You only did what you had to do, Son. I'm proud of you."

Gohan blinked. "You are?"

"Now we have to make sure you get some training, so next time you can _win_ in a fight like that."

"Wait." Piccolo said. "Are you saying this runt fought Raditz?"

Goku smiled, but Bulma answered before he could, jumping out from behind Goku, suddenly brave again in Piccolo's presence. "That's right! He's definitely Goku's son, alright! I saw him knock that Saiyan out cold after...after..."

Bulma trailed off and turned her face away with a somber frown. Goku turned his gaze to Gohan for further explanation, but his son looked just as saddened as Bulma was. Turtle moaned sympathetically and lowered his head.

Gohan inhaled deeply. "After he killed Krillin and Master Roshi."

Goku's face dropped. "Oh."

Aside from the damage, the absence of those two from the island had been bothering Goku, and now he realized why they weren't there. Shenron couldn't fulfill the same wish twice. This meant that Chiaotzu wasn't alive, either. The only way Goku would see him, his old master and his best friend again would be to wish them back with the Namekian Dragonballs. But Goku just made all three wishes on those. Goku knew the Namekian Dragonballs wouldn't be active again for another year.

As everyone around him silently observed Goku's expression turning bitter, Goku growled in frustration. "Dammit!"

Bulma's hand gently touched his shoulder, "Hey, Goku, are you okay? I mean," she smiled hesitantly, "you're acting a little strange and…why are you wearing that armor?"

Goku glanced down at his attire, realizing he was dressed in his typical leggings and Planet Trade armor, something to which he had become so accustomed at this point that it never occurred to him that he'd look out of place on Earth.

When Goku looked up at Bulma again, hesitating to tell her all that had happened while she was dead, Bulma gasped. "How long was I dead?" Bulma clapped her hands over her mouth and squealed. "Was my body _decomposing_ without a proper burial?"

Turtle groaned. "You mean how long were _we_ dead, don't you, Bulma?"

Goku sighed and glanced at Piccolo, hoping he'd pipe in with a little explanation so Goku didn't have to keep explaining everything himself. Fortunately, he did, "You just realized the length of our deaths by Goku's appearance in his _enemy's armor_ ," Piccolo spat at Bulma, "and you're asking about your body instead of what's happened in space while we were all dead?"

Goku chuckled nervously. That wasn't exactly the help he was looking for. "Uh…Piccolo…"

Gohan glanced at Piccolo before looking at Goku, "Why _are_ you dressed like Raditz, Daddy?" his brows furrowed with honest concern, "did he make you kill people, too, like he said he would?"

Goku laughed nervously before setting Gohan on the ground. "Listen, it's been almost a year. A lot's happened."

Turtle gasped. "A year?"

Bulma frowned. "Holy crap."

"And," Goku frowned, "there's more. We don't have much time. We need to get everyone together to train before they get here."

Bulma crossed her arms. "Before _who_ gets here, Goku?"

Goku grimaced. "Uh, right now…"

Goku wanted to stall. He didn't really want to waste any more time here, but he never considered that explaining all of this and seeing everyone again would be so difficult. And this was just Gohan, Piccolo, Turtle and Bulma. It wasn't going to get any easier when he had to face everyone else. It sure as hell wouldn't get easier when Vegeta and Dodoria arrived.

But then, the real problem would come when Frieza arrived. Because Goku knew Frieza would come to Earth. He would come with the intentions of hurting Goku as much as he possibly could, which would be extremely easy for the sadist while on the planet Goku loved, with the people he cared for, who were currently defenseless against a monster like Frieza. Goku knew by now that Frieza's methods of punishment went beyond causing physical pain, to something much deeper. He couldn't afford to care about anyone right now.

Goku shuddered at the thoughts of Frieza before Piccolo's impatient glower and Bulma's, Gohan's, and Turtle's attentive gazes refocused his attention on the task at hand. "Right now, another Saiyan and a really powerful alien are coming to Earth."

Gohan and Turtle gasped as Bulma screamed, "another _Saiyan_?!"

"And an even more powerful alien…" Goku placed his hands on his hips with a pensive frown, "I don't know what his race is called."

"Who cares what it's called?" Piccolo said. "All I care about is beating him."

"Right. Okay, well." Goku shrugged as he looked down at Gohan, then at Piccolo. "You two better not waste any more time. I'll go round up everyone else if you want to get started."

Gohan frowned. "Get started?"

Piccolo sneered. "With _him_?"

Nonchalantly, Goku crossed his arms. "Yeah."

Gohan glanced warily at Piccolo's intensely scowling face.

"Go on, Gohan." Goku said. "Piccolo will teach you the martial arts and take good care of you." Goku smirked at Piccolo. "He knows if anything happens to you, he'll have to answer to me."

As Bulma's and Turtle's jaws dropped in disbelief, Piccolo snorted.

"Goku, have you lost your mind?!" Bulma yelled. "We're talking about Piccolo! Chi-Chi will have a fit!"

Goku cringed at that frightening warning. "Uh, Bulma, maybe it'd be a good idea not to tell her about this."

Bulma placed her hands on her hips and glared at Goku. " _Maybe_ it would be a good idea not to do this!"

"But Bulma," Goku smiled reassuringly, "Gohan needs to train. If he doesn't, he'll most likely die again."

For some reason, his convincing argument didn't seem to get through to her. It actually made Bulma look more reluctant, and caused Gohan to cower further from Piccolo.

"Goku!" Turtle scolded.

Goku furrowed his brows in confusion. "What?"

"I'm going to take the boy to train now," Piccolo said, "before his father scares him into acting like more of a coward than he already is."

As Gohan clung tightly to his leg at the sight of Piccolo's approach, Goku frowned. Goku didn't see the problem here. Piccolo needed to train. Gohan needed to train. They were both ready to go, and time was wasting. Piccolo wouldn't harm Gohan. His son's strength had already been proven against Raditz. Goku knew Gohan was capable of defending himself. He just needed the training to control and develop his power.

Goku had no problem with Piccolo _training_ Gohan, but when Piccolo grasped Gohan's wagging tail and pulled it to pry the wincing boy from Goku's leg, Goku narrowed his eyes at Piccolo with irritation. "Let go of his tail."

Piccolo tossed Gohan by his tail, before snatching him from the air by the fabric at the back of his yellow surcoat. "Oh," Piccolo smiled at Goku, "sorry. Didn't realize you Saiyans were so sensitive about your tails."

Gohan whimpered and looked pleadingly into Goku's eyes. "Daddy…"

"Gohan," Goku said, "remember what I told you before I left?"

As he continued dangling from Piccolo's grasp, Gohan sniffed sharply, raising his chin and refusing to allow the tears to fall from his watering eyes. "No more crying?"

"Right." Goku smiled. "Time to be strong, Gohan." Goku looked past Gohan to narrow his eyes at Piccolo. "Piccolo can teach you that. And he needs to get stronger now, too."

As Gohan hesitantly frowned and nodded, Piccolo met Goku's gaze with a look of acceptance in his eyes, before huffily launching into the air with a calmer Gohan in his grasp.

Bulma groaned and shifted uneasily where she stood. "Goku, I'm not comfortable with this."

"You don't have to be." Goku said. "Just remember, don't tell-"

"Chi-Chi?" Turtle interrupted with his brows raised and chin inclined.

Goku nodded. "Right."

Turtle shook his head. "No." Bulma followed his gaze to the horizon and then pointed a finger and grimaced as they both shouted, " _Chi-Chi_!"

As Bulma and Turtle shouted the warning, Goku's eyes widened. He followed their gazes across the water to spy a fast-approaching air car, with one huge passenger and one determined, petite driver seated in front of him.

 _Chi-Chi!_

She just came back to life and already she was heading to Kame House? Of course. Goku grimaced in realization. Chasing down Gohan would be the first thing Chi-Chi would do after being killed and resurrected without knowing what happened to her family. Maybe, if Goku was lucky, his wife would think only she and Ox King were killed. It was pretty isolated up there on Mt. Paozu, so it was possible. It was better she thought that than to realize Gohan died.

But what was Goku supposed to tell her when she reached the island? 'Sorry, honey, but our four-year-old son died, too, and I just sent him to train with Piccolo, and by the way, I'm an alien and I've spent the past months murdering countless innocent people in outer space'? _No way!_

Goku yelped. "She'll have a fit when Gohan's not here!"

"Ugh!" Bulma winced, "Goku, what are you gonna tell-"

Goku jumped into the air. "Gotta run!"

"Goku!" Bulma's hand flew with a speed she shouldn't have possessed to catch in her grip the white material of Goku's pointed boot. While the air car passengers smiled and waved towards the island, Bulma stomped her foot. "You're not leaving me here alone!"

Turtle frowned. " _Alone_?"

The Ox King waved and propped a hand aside his mouth. "Hello-o!"

Bulma glared at Goku. "Goku, if you leave me to answer Chi-Chi's questions, I swear I'll tell her everyth-"

As Goku wrapped an arm around Bulma and tossed her into his arms, she squealed in alarm. Goku didn't have time for her to finish yelling, but he sure as hell couldn't risk leaving Bulma behind to snitch on him.

"Come on, Bulma!" Goku yelled before glancing over his shoulder at the grimacing sea turtle. "Tell Ox King and Chi-Chi I'm sorry we had to leave, Turtle! Thanks!"

Turtle groaned. "What am _I_ supposed to do?"

The air car approached the shore, with Chi-Chi poised to leap out of the vehicle while she yelled at Goku and Bulma's back, "Goku, where are you going?!"

Goku heaved a sigh of relief as he sped away from the island. His marital reunion wasn't going to be pleasant after that close encounter, but he didn't have much of a choice. When Goku _did_ reunite with Chi-Chi, he'd have a lot of explaining to do. Explaining he didn't have time for, because right now, he needed to make sure everyone would be ready to fight. The Earth was nowhere near prepared for what was coming.

Goku looked down when Bulma squirmed and latched her arms tightly around his neck. She narrowed her eyes peevishly at him. "You just left your wife clueless on a deserted island with a useless sea turtle."

Goku forced a smile. "Ox King's with her." When Bulma's glower persisted, Goku groaned in defeat. "Bulma, I can't talk to Chi-Chi right now. There's no time."

Bulma pursed her lips in disapproval. But when Goku stared back at her, Bulma's gaze softened as she registered the dire insistence in his eyes. Goku was already focused on the energy of the next person he had to find, knowing what he'd told Bulma was absolutely true. There really wasn't any time to waste.

Bulma rolled her eyes in defeat, before her eyes curiously searched their surroundings. "Where are we going, anyways?"

"To get Yamcha."

Bulma growled, "I really don't want to see him, you know. Yamcha and I haven't really been speaking lately." Bulma chuckled morbidly. "I mean, when we were _alive_ , we weren't really speaking."

Goku focused ahead, not paying much attention to what Bulma was saying. He didn't care about Bulma and Yamcha's relationship status. Bulma didn't have to see Yamcha. But he needed to find his old friend and get him training.

Goku narrowed his eyes ahead. "He's not far, that way."

Bulma nodded. "Central City. He had a game there. He started a baseball career playing for the Taitans...among _other_ things."

Goku leaned to the left to pull in Yamcha's direction. "Can I drop you off there, Bulma?"

Bulma blinked. "In Central City? I guess so." She loosened a hand from Goku's neck to rummage through the pocket of her white blazer. "I've got Capsule vehicles to get the rest of the way home."

Her home, at Capsule Corporation. Goku didn't know if Bulma would be alright with what she'd find there. Maybe he should warn her. Goku opened his mouth and then shut it.

Nah. If anyone was capable of rebuilding quickly, it was the Briefs. Capsule Corp would be the first place on Earth to be up and running again. Dr. Brief was probably working on it already. Goku had to focus on finding where in the city Yamcha was, as they were now arriving in Central City, hovering over a chaotic, rubble-filled street.

He reached his senses out for that familiar ki and looked at Bulma, who met his gaze in understanding. Goku lowered his feet to the street level, ignoring the disoriented people scattered through the streets who were murmuring and gawking at the pair arriving impossibly from the sky.

As Bulma hopped out of his arms, Goku rubbed at the back of his head. "Well, see ya, Bulma."

Bulma tossed a Capsule to the sidewalk. As it exploded with a cloud of dust, Bulma smiled wryly. "Never a dull moment." Bulma frowned. "We've barely got our lives back, and you're all preparing for another fight already."

"Yeah," Goku chuckled guiltily, "I guess trouble followed me here again, huh?"

Bulma smiled as she turned to the motorcycle that had appeared from the cloud of dust produced by her Capsule, grabbing the handle and throwing a leg over the seat. "When will these others be arriving?"

Goku shrugged. "A week, give or take."

"A week." Bulma nodded. "I'll make sure Capsule Corp helps with rebuilding our cities, as long as you promise these invaders won't destroy everything again once they get here."

"I won't let them destroy anything, Bulma."

"Good. Where can I find you when they arrive?" Bulma smirked. "I want to see these aliens for myself."

Goku cocked his head pensively. That was a good question. He had no idea where he'd be at the time of Vegeta and Dodoria's arrival, or where they'd be landing. "Watch the news for spaceship sightings, I guess."

Bulma frowned in disappointment, but Goku turned to leave. He had to get going. Over the sounds of the crowds and the revving of Bulma's bike engine, Goku faintly heard Bulma's voice, "Hey, Goku!"

Surprised by Bulma's call, Goku turned to raise his brows at her.

"Tell Yamcha..." Bulma smiled coyly. "Never mind."

Goku smiled assuredly. "Don't worry, Bulma. I'll make sure he gets good and strong!"

Bulma's face fell before Goku turned and ran off. Skirting through the lost people and varying debris littering the sidewalk and street, Goku focused on the task ahead. He would find Yamcha, send him to find Tien, and the two of them could train together. Goku wanted to see how Gohan and Piccolo's training was going. He really didn't like the idea of being stuck training everyone else. He had his own training to do before the real battle happened.

Because he could take care of Vegeta, no problem. He knew that Dodoria wouldn't even be a threat to the Earth. The real threat was Frieza. And for that fight, Goku wanted to train. He had never seen the limits of Frieza's power, but he knew there was more there than he'd ever seen Frieza use. The thought of going up against that unknown power at this current level was terrifying.

If Goku lost, Frieza would make Goku watch as he brutally maimed and killed every person Goku ever cared for. At one time, Goku never would've believed a man who trained him as his master would be capable of such a thing. But Frieza was unlike any master he'd had before, and unfortunately had opened Goku's eyes to his proclivity for cruelty too many times to ignore.

It would only be worse for him and Vegeta both now, since they'd defeated everyone Frieza sent after them, and openly defied Frieza for the entire universe to know about, effectively bruising the tyrant's ego. This fight against Frieza would certainly be a life or death struggle, one Goku couldn't see himself winning yet.

It was a surreal and unsettling realization.

* * *

He hovered in mid-air at a distance from the Lookout, in total awe of the sight before him. The fighter who had arrived with him seemed equally stunned.

It was difficult enough to recover from the shock of returning to life without Chiaotzu, and then finding himself alone in the mountains with a very confused blue-haired Launch in need of consoling, but this was just a whole new level of alarming.

Piccolo was training on the Lookout, fighting with a scared little boy. The boy immediately reminded Tien of Goku as a kid, with his monkey tail swaying behind him while being attacked by the green demon Tien loathed.

"Wow," Yamcha said beside him, "that must be Goku's kid."

"Yeah," Tien breathed, "I know you warned me that he had a kid, and we'd be training with him and Piccolo. I just didn't think Piccolo would be training _with_ him."

Tien glanced warily towards Kami and Goku, who stood under the shade of the overhang, staring intently at the spar. At least someone was there to look out for the kid, but the sight was just nerve-wracking. Tien was tempted to jump in and protect the boy. Obviously, Goku didn't feel the need to, or he would've jumped in already. How could he just stand by and watch this? What Tien wondered even more was if Goku was never killed with the rest of the Earth, what the hell had he been doing all this time, aside from getting unbelievably stronger?

Tien clenched his fists and growled with frustration. Goku's power was frightening. The power of the cruel Saiyan by whom the world was destroyed, by whom Tien and Chiaotzu were both completely outmatched, paled in comparison to Goku's current power. It was no wonder Goku insisted that they all needed to train. If others were coming that had a power level anywhere near Goku's, Tien knew he wouldn't stand a chance right now.

"Goku! Gohan!" called a cheery voice from inside the Lookout, "the food is ready!"

Goku and Kami both turned around to see Mr. Popo emerging from inside the Lookout with platters of food propped on both hands. Tien contorted his brows in confusion as Goku whooped with glee and Kami lackadaisically turned back to watching the spar, which was resulting in the temporarily distracted boy taking a brutal kick from Piccolo. Piccolo followed the kick with a punch to the kid's face, resulting in the kid tumbling backwards a few feet before skidding to a stop.

"Enough!" Piccolo yelled. "You've got impressive power, kid. When you use it. Learn to evade and block my attacks, and _then_ we can try again."

Tien gaped at the wounded little boy, before looking expectantly at Goku, who had seated himself on the ground with Mr. Popo's platter and was already shoveling food in his mouth, "Wow, Mr. Popo! I never realized how much I missed your cooking! The food in space doesn't even compare to this!" Goku briefly looked up from his plate to acknowledge Tien and Yamcha's presence. "Oh, hey guys!"

Tien scowled at Goku, prepared to question him as the boy climbed to his feet, staggering over to join his father.

"You two!" Piccolo called, drawing Tien's attention from the boy casually taking a seat and reaching for food.

Yamcha and Tien descended until their feet hit the Lookout. "Yeah?"

"I'm training on my own for a while. You babysit the brat from now on."

"Huh?" Yamcha balked at Piccolo's back, as Piccolo had already turned to leave.

Tien glared indignantly. "Hey, wait!"

As Piccolo jumped off the edge of the Lookout, Tien clenched his teeth. Just what the hell was going on here? Tien fixed his gaze again at the group seated together comfortably. Goku and his son were chatting and laughing, as if everything was fine. Did they forget that another threat was coming to Earth?

"Goku!" Tien called as he marched insistently to them, absently noting the patter of Yamcha's footsteps by his side. "What is going on?"

Goku stopped eating and blinked at Tien and Yamcha with his cheeks bulging. "Hm?"

"Tien! Yamcha!" Kami smiled warmly at each of them. "It's good to see you alive and well."

"Hi, Kami. Hey, Goku." Yamcha said.

Tien glanced furtively at Kami in acknowledgement before turning his glare on Goku again. "Goku!"

Goku turned his smile from Yamcha to Tien before it dropped into a perturbed frown. "What's wrong, Tien?" Goku put aside the food he was holding to give Tien his full attention. "Didn't Yamcha tell you we were all coming up here to train?"

"Yes," Tien growled, "but what's the big idea training Piccolo?"

Goku shrugged as he handed an apple to his ravenous son. "Well, he needs training, too. We'll need all the help we can get against these guys."

"Goku," Yamcha frowned, "wouldn't it be better if we all got stronger and left Piccolo in the dust? I mean," Yamcha fidgeted and glanced over his shoulder as if Piccolo would return, "have you forgotten he wants to kill you?"

Goku laughed. "He's not going to kill me!"

"He might kill your son, though!"Tien growled.

"Oh!" Goku's brows rose in realization as he looked to his son. "You haven't met Gohan yet, have you?"

Tien blinked at the shyly smiling boy. "Uh…hi."

As Gohan swallowed his food, Yamcha knelt down to meet the boy face to face. "Gohan, huh?" He glanced at Goku. "You named him after your grandpa?"

"Yeah." Goku smiled at the battered and bruised boy as if he were perfectly unharmed. "Gohan, this is Yamcha and Tien."

"Nice to meet you both." Gohan bowed awkwardly from his seated position.

"Wow, Goku," Yamcha said as he stood to his feet again, "he seems too polite to be your kid."

Tien snorted in amusement. "That has to be his wife's influence."

Goku nodded and took another bite of food, emptying the platter. "Yeah. So, we're done eating. Are you guys ready?"

Goku's strange behavior aside, Tien knew he needed to train. Regardless of Goku's reasons of more invaders coming, Tien once had a goal of defeating Goku. That goal seemed impossible now with the massive gap existing between their power levels. But that wouldn't stop him from trying.

As Goku stood and brushed himself off, Tien crossed his arms. "You think you can bring us up to your level of power?"

Goku smiled determinedly. "I'll do my best."

With Gohan by his side, Goku took a few steps towards the wide-open arena of the Lookout. Tien followed, determined to get going. He needed this training, as much for improving his strength as for a distraction. Because no matter what he accomplished from here on out, without Chiaotzu by his side, it all felt empty. It was too bad Chiaotzu had been revived by the Dragonballs once before.

Tien suddenly stopped as that thought brought up a very good question. "Goku, if Piccolo and Kami were dead, how did you wish us back?"

Goku turned around with a nonchalant reply. "I used the Dragonballs on Planet Namek."

Tien grunted in surprise, as did Yamcha. "There are more Dragonballs?"

Goku shrugged. "Just that one set, I think."

If there were more Dragonballs, then Chiaotzu could still be revived! No one on Earth had ever been revived by _that_ dragon.

"Hey!" Yamcha exclaimed, "we could use that set to wish back Krillin, Master Roshi, an-"

"and Chiaotzu." Tien finished with a sly smile.

Goku frowned as he met Yamcha's gaze and then Tien's with obvious unease. That didn't look good. Tien exchanged a glance with Yamcha.

"Sorry, guys." Goku lifted his palms apologetically. "I don't think that'll work."

Kami stepped forward to explain. "If Namek's Dragonballs work like ours, they'll need to reactivate before they can be used again."

Tien frowned deeply in disappointment. To have his hopes raised like that, only to have them dashed again was more painful than staying resigned to accepting Chiaotzu's death. He was going to have to fight Earth's newest invaders without Chiaotzu, maybe even continue through the rest of his life without his closest friend.

Tien heard feet touch down on the ground behind him. "Goku."

The gruff voice interrupting their solemn moment tore Tien from his daze as he turned around to growl at the unwanted company.

Piccolo glared tauntingly back at him, before redirecting his attention to Goku. "I'm heading into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for as long as possible. I'm hoping I can last at least a year. I've decided it's the only way I'm going to reach your level before these invaders arrive in a few days."

Goku looked surprised, before giving Piccolo a curt nod. "Good idea, Piccolo."

"Wait," Yamcha chuckled, "a year? We don't have that much time."

Piccolo smirked. "In the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, all I'll have is time." His lips turned down into a frown. "Time I'm done wasting out here with you losers."

Tien growled as Piccolo turned away from them. That guy really pissed him off. As angry as Piccolo was making him though, maybe it was good to just let him go. Not seeing his face again for a long time sounded pretty appealing.

"Wait, Piccolo!" Goku ran after Piccolo and cut him off in his tracks, stopping the green man who crossed his arms and grimaced at Goku with irritation.

"What?"

"It's a good idea, but," Goku smiled, "you should take someone with you. It would be a waste for only one person to go in. And you might get lonely all by yourself in there."

Piccolo frowned disbelievingly at Goku. "Aren't you strong _enough_ already?"

Goku chuckled mischievously. "Not me." He tilted his head pointedly. "Gohan."

Gohan's eyes widened. "Huh?"

Kami gasped. "Goku, are you sure?"

Piccolo sneered. "You can't be serious."

Goku simply smiled in answer.

Piccolo clenched his teeth and raised his voice. "I am a fighter, not your damn babysitter!"

Tien raised his brows at Yamcha. If Goku was willing to send his own kid in there with Piccolo, there had to be something to this Time Chamber thing. By the look on Yamcha's face, he was thinking the same thing.

Goku pouted at Piccolo in disappointment. "Aw, come on, Piccolo. Gohan'll be a good training partner." Goku smiled at the frowning, clueless child. "You've seen what he can do already. We might need his help in the fight. And you're never going to catch up to my power by training alone in there."

Piccolo growled at Goku's last remark. "Never catch up, huh?"

Goku smirked. "That's right."

Piccolo growled loudly with frustration before looking around at everyone on the Lookout in displeasure. Finally, he turned to head inside the Lookout. "Come on, Kid!"

Goku waved to Piccolo's back. "Thanks, Piccolo!"

Gohan turned to Goku. "Daddy," he asked meekly, "what am I supposed to _do_?"

Goku looked down with a reassuring smile. "Just follow Piccolo. You're going to spend as much time as you can in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan. If you can last a year in there, it'll only be a day later when you come out."

Tien's jaw dropped. "What?!"

"No way!" Yamcha yelled.

"A-alone with Piccolo for that long?" Gohan blinked curiously at the shadowy place where Piccolo had disappeared.

"Yeah. It's not the most comfortable environment, Gohan." Goku warned. "And I wouldn't be sending you in there if it wasn't necessary. I went in as a kid, and I could only last a few months. But I think you'll do just fine."

Gohan grimaced. "Won't Mom be angry?" Goku winced at Gohan's question. "I'll really fall behind on my homework."

Goku knelt down and winked at Gohan. "Then it'll be our little secret. To Chi-Chi, we'll only be up here for a week."

Gohan's eyes widened before he nervously glanced at the staring faces of Tien, then Yamcha, then Kami and Mr. Popo. "O-okay."

"Come on, already!" Piccolo's voice echoed from within the Lookout's walls.

"Uh!" Gohan jumped. "Y-yes, Mr. Piccolo!"

As Gohan scurried off, Goku turned to Tien and Yamcha's disbelieving visages with a satisfied smile. "Good. I think when they come out, you two should go in."

Tien exchanged a glance with Yamcha as they spoke in unison. "Us?"

"Yeah." Goku placed his hands on his hips. "In the meantime, _I'll_ train you. You'll need all the training you can get if you're going to stand up to Dodoria and Vegeta."

Tien raised a brow. "Dodoria?"

"Vegeta?" Yamcha crossed his arms.

Goku chuckled mischievously. Something about the look in Goku's eyes told Tien that there was more to the story than Goku was telling. He really wished he knew what Goku had been doing the past months everyone else was dead. It wasn't so easy to trust him now, not knowing what he'd been through in space. Add to that the odd behavior Goku had exhibited since Tien was revived, and Tien was feeling especially uneasy about all of this. But the bottom line was, training was training. And on that issue, he had no doubts. Within the week, he would make sure he was ready for this threat to arrive.

* * *

A few days later, at the outer edge of Earth's solar system, a pair of small space pods rocketed through space. Within one of the pods, a mechanically programmed voice spoke to wake the sleeping inhabitant. _"Wake up, Prince Vegeta. Approaching Planet Earth."_

The sleeping Saiyan prince's eyes shot open with a murderous look. Still furious over the turn of events on Namek, he sat with his arms crossed and brows lowered. After all those wasted years of calculated planning and kissing Lord Frieza's boots in preparation for the day he'd gain the upper hand, that idiot Kakarot had to steal that upper hand right out from under his nose. Vegeta's strength had improved greatly over the past months, but still he knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Frieza, and now immortality was a lost cause. That ship had sailed and there was no escaping his fate. He knew he was going to die. And that wouldn't be just someday eventually.

After blatantly betraying Lord Frieza, Vegeta knew he and Kakarot would be Frieza's next targets. He and Kakarot were the only Saiyans left, not counting Kakarot's half-breed son, if he had been revived. Vegeta knew that soon his proud race would finally meet its inglorious end at Frieza's hands. The only things left for him now were his unshakable pride and making everyone at fault for his imminent death pay dearly.

Kakarot's beloved Earth was the perfect place to start.


	25. Come And Gone

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Really love reading what you all have to say. This chapter could have gone so many directions, but most cornered our characters into a losing situation. I went back and forth a lot with different scenarios, but this is heading in a direction that I'm really happy with now. That last decision to make Goku fall through Nimbus was a tough one which I thought about a lot, but I feel he would fall through mostly because his change in attitude, not so much because of the fact that he had killed innocent people. Nimbus doesn't seem to judge purity for past actions, it seems more for current intentions and motives, if that makes sense. At least, that's the conclusion I came to.

* * *

He squinted as the hatch of his pod opened to fully expose the bright sunlight of the Earth. Clouds of dust were still swirling in the air from the crash landing and the brightness made quite an adjustment for his eyes, but what irritated Vegeta even more was the notable multiple human presences surrounding his pod.

It seemed _Kakarot_ had gotten his wish.

Having lost the advantage of his scouter to find Kakarot, Vegeta let his senses feel out for that familiar presence and high power level. With arms crossed, he levitated from his pod and put to use the relatively new skill he had learned from observing Goku during their purges and training over the past months.

As his boots hit the Earth's soil, Vegeta could tell right away that the power levels belonging to the fearsome, gawking faces he was seeing were much higher than he expected to find on Earth in comparison to Raditz's last encounter there. Undoubtedly, Kakarot had something to do with that. That was no matter, though. By Vegeta's new standard of power, they were still pathetically weak.

With a grunt, Vegeta turned his head sharply to the presence he suddenly realized was very close and very strong, but when he sighted the other unopened, crater-sunken space pod, he grunted again in dismissal. Only Dodoria. He didn't know what that lackey thought he was up to. Kakarot was a gullible fool if he really believed Dodoria was capable of being a friend, or even an ally with anyone that opposed Lord Frieza.

The alarming rapid approach of a new power drew his attention before any of his observers had a chance to address him. Vegeta gasped when he sensed Kakarot's power, then glared in that direction as he anticipated the other Saiyan's arrival. "Good. At least he's being direct enough to come to me."

"Uh…" one of the humans addressed him.

Vegeta didn't flinch at the scar-faced piece of trash. He only stared intently at the growing dot in the distant sky which had to be Kakarot. None of them mattered but Kakarot, and perhaps his son, who was among the group as Vegeta had noticed the swaying tail behind the only child at the scene. They all did have a minor part to play in this encounter, though. After all, killing them would be the first step to repaying Kakarot for his disloyalty to his prince.

The sole Namekian from the group growled irritably at Vegeta's silence. "You're the other Saiyan Goku warned us about."

Vegeta's bottom lip pressed up as his scowl deepened upon seeing Kakarot coming into view. The other Saiyan looked just as ready for a fight as Vegeta was. He also was wearing some ridiculous outfit, not suited for a Saiyan. The humans and Namek were all wearing a similar fashion of flimsy, brightly colored material. Didn't Earthlings know to wear armor in battle?

"Kakarot!" Vegeta called angrily as soon as his fellow Saiyan reached hearing range.

The others gasped and took hesitant steps back as Goku landed on the ground to face Vegeta with a ready stance. Vegeta glared and assumed a stance in preparation as well.

Goku smiled, though his eyes and position remained visibly hostile. "Welcome to Earth, Vegeta."

"Tch!" Vegeta spat on the ground, before sneering at the self-destructive fool in front of him. "Go to hell, Kakarot!"

Goku's smile widened, making Vegeta's anger skyrocket. Vegeta tightened his fists as he maintained his stance, his tense muscles coiled to strike at any minute. The others were of no consequence to him. It was Kakarot that he had to be ready for, though he really didn't know how he'd take him down yet. Being slightly outmatched in power, he'd have to outwit the fool; not a difficult task, but he needed a plan before Kakarot decided to come at him. At the sound of air hissing from the nearby space pod, Vegeta took a fleeting glance to his left to see it opening.

"The other one's coming out, guys." That first, long-haired weakling spoke again. "Be ready."

"Dammit." Vegeta muttered when he realized Dodoria was entering the scene, and would predictably be siding with Kakarot.

Killing Kakarot's friends would be impossible now with both Dodoria and Kakarot defending them. Reluctantly, Vegeta lowered his fists by his sides with a growl of frustration as he sighted the black horns of the slowly emerging alien, followed by his scouter-adorned grotesque face.

Goku's eyes fixed briefly on the alien. "Dodoria!"

Dodoria levitated out of his pod with a smirk. "So this is Earth, huh?"

Vegeta smiled in amusement at the sight of the band of Earthlings staring in confusion at the friendly greeting occurring between that purple monstrosity and Kakarot. It almost seemed like they were surprised that Dodoria wasn't an enemy. Maybe Kakarot hadn't been forthcoming with them. Kakarot being a liar-now that would be out of character.

As Vegeta chuckled at the sardonic thought, the Namekian raised a brow at him. "What's so funny?"

Vegeta smiled smugly at the Namekian. "You mean besides your face?"

As the Namekian growled and moved aggressively towards Vegeta, he was surprisingly held back by the small boy, causing Vegeta to laugh again. Earthlings were certainly more amusing than most species-he'd give them that.

As Vegeta was about to continue taunting the Namek, a reproving voice interrupted his fun, "Vegeta!"

At the sound of Goku's voice, Vegeta whipped his head in the direction of Goku and Dodoria, to see them walking side by side towards Kakarot's startled band of misfits.

When their eyes met, Goku smirked. "Why don't you come over here and meet everybody?"

Vegeta's eyes widened as he grunted in surprise at the invitation, as did all the other spectators who were already visibly wary of Dodoria's nearing presence.

"Goku!" The Namek yelled, "what's going on?!"

"Yeah!" The black-haired weakling shouted, "I thought you had us training because enemies were coming to Earth!"

With crossed arms and eyes narrowed suspiciously at Goku, the three-eyed bald weakling said, "These guys seem more like _friends_ of yours."

As Goku chuckled, Vegeta narrowed his eyes. He perceptively recognized Kakarot's mannerisms well enough by now to be able to tell when he was hiding something, and the Earthlings had just exposed to Vegeta what Kakarot was hiding.

Vegeta cocked his head at the other Saiyan with a sly smile. "Are we not your friends, Kakarot?"

Goku ceased chuckling at Vegeta's teasing words, turning a warning glare on Vegeta.

Oblivious to Goku's discomfort, his son stepped forward with a determined glare. "Of course you're not his friends! You came here to hurt people like Raditz did!" The boy trembled under Vegeta's intensifying gaze, before he bravely shifted his focus to Dodoria. "My father would never have anything to do with people like you!"

This was great! Punishing Kakarot with brute strength for his betrayal would have been a losing battle in Vegeta's current predicament, but Vegeta had just found another way to make Kakarot suffer without getting maimed in the process.

While Goku grit his teeth and Dodoria openly chuckled in amusement at the Earthlings' misinformed convictions, Vegeta laughed raucously, "Oh, yes! The commander of the Saiyans, trained to kill by Lord Frieza himself, would never hurt anyone!"

As the Earthlings gawked in bewilderment, and then looked to Goku as if expecting to hear his adamant denial, Vegeta turned his gaze from the Earthlings to realize Goku was already glaring furiously at him. Dodoria stopped laughing, his mouth gaping at the stunning tension building between the two Saiyans.

"Vegeta…" Goku growled.

"Goku," Scar-face stepped forward, "what's he talking about?"

The Namekian chuckled wryly. "Looks like Earth's 'hero' isn't as perfect as you all make him out to be."

The three-eyed human balked. "Huh?"

Vegeta crossed his arms with a smug smile. "And here I thought he only betrayed his _own_ kind. Watch out, Dodoria." Vegeta cast the alien a furtive glance. "You're probably next."

Dodoria's gaze darted uneasily to Goku. "Uh…"

Goku growled and clenched his fists tightly. "That's enough, Vegeta!"

"Goku hasn't betrayed anyone!" Scar-face adamantly shouted.

"No?" Vegeta asked with feigned ignorance. "Doesn't murder count as betrayal?"

The Namek scowled. "I would've killed his brother myself if I'd had the chance. _That_ hardly matters to anyone here."

Vegeta glared at Goku while addressing the others. "Kakarot's killed far more than just Raditz. He was a space pirate, just like me, just like his brother."

The brat gaped. "D-Dad?"

Instead of reacting to his son and the questioning looks of his friends, Goku lunged for Vegeta. "I'm nothing like Raditz!"

Before Vegeta had the chance to react, Goku's fist planted in his cheek, painfully ripping through skin and bruising the bones in his face.

"Goku!" The others cried as Vegeta fell on his back.

Vegeta propped himself on his elbow and rubbed his throbbing cheek as he glared at Goku, before triumphantly nodding towards their frowning onlookers. "I don't think they believe you."

Vegeta's victory was fleeting, though, as reality set in with resurfacing thoughts of Frieza. What mattered more than what Kakarot's friends thought of him, was what would happen once that terrible encounter with Frieza would occur. Vegeta was prepared to die if it came to that, but he didn't want to. He wanted Frieza to die, or at least to make him suffer before Vegeta died. He wondered if it was even possible to inflict severe pain on the tyrant yet, even after all the training he and the other Saiyans had done. As it stood, Vegeta knew there was no chance in winning against the cruel monster that had destroyed his life.

Vegeta met Goku's somber gaze as his face fell into a bitter frown. "None of that matters anyways now that Frieza will be here soon to end us all."

As Vegeta stood to his feet, recognizing the scowl that crossed Goku's face at the reminder of Frieza, Dodoria let out a loud cough. "Um…actually, I think I bought us some time."

Goku's glare softened as a curious expression crossed his face, similar to the expressions the Earthlings were wearing.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Dodoria. "What do you mean?"

"Lord Frieza contacted me on the way here." Dodoria shrugged. "Since he thought I was Captain Ginyu, I was able to convince him that we were all still on Namek. He's heading there to come after us, or...you two."

The Namekian's eyes widened. "Planet Namek?"

Vegeta huffed his approval of Dodoria's news. The extra time would certainly be put to good use. If he could train more, he might actually stand a chance against Frieza before facing him, even without immortality. Frieza couldn't be that much more powerful than the Prince of Saiyans. In the meantime, Vegeta could continue making Kakarot miserable. Staying on Earth for a while longer wouldn't be so bad.

"What?!" Goku shouted at Dodoria, startling Vegeta from his planning.

Dodoria frowned and raised a brow at Goku's shocked reaction. "Yeah. Isn't that good news? We get to live...at least for a while longer."

"Uh," the three-eyed human scratched his head, "what's going on here? Who's Frieza?"

Vegeta frowned. He didn't know why the clueless humans were alive, let alone butting into this conversation. They should have stayed dead, because their revived status wasn't going to last long anyways. However, when no one else was bothering to answer, Vegeta decided to answer rather than leaving room for more questions to be asked.

"The sadistic freak that's going to kill all of us." Vegeta rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "Keep up or butt out, will you?"

"No!" Goku exclaimed. "Dodoria, let me borrow your scouter!"

Dodoria balked at Goku, though he willingly obliged and removed the powered-down scouter from his ear to hand it to Goku, who hastily fastened it to his ear and turned it on. Vegeta glared at the other Saiyan, not liking the fact that he didn't know what Goku might be planning to do with the scouter.

"Dad, what are you doing?" The brat asked.

Goku turned to his son. "I'm sorry, Gohan. But I have to leave right away. You all keep training, in case I don't make it back."

Scar-face furrowed his brows in confusion. "Don't make it back?"

Three-eyes gasped. "Goku!"

Goku ignored them as he became alert and his gaze became far-off. It was obvious that he was listening to something over the scouter. Vegeta regretted having destroyed his. He needed to hear what was being said. Whatever Kakarot might choose to convey to others in the Planet Trade could alter his destiny. "Dammit, Kakarot! What are you planning?"

"Frieza," Goku smiled and eyed Vegeta smugly as everyone's eyes widened in surprise at the address, "you're wasting your time heading to Namek. We're not there."

Scar-face gasped. "Goku!"

Dodoria growled and reached for the scouter. "Goku, what are you doing?!"

Goku easily swatted him aside and turned away. "You won't find us there, either. You'll never find us, Frieza. Not until we're ready to destroy you. Then we'll find you."

Vegeta couldn't stop the grin that stretched across his face. As much as Kakarot's thinking made no sense to him at most times, on that note, he completely agreed. Maybe it would be possible to defeat Frieza once and for all-if only they could train enough to reach the level of the legendary Super Saiyan.

Of course, Vegeta would be the one to reach that level. But as long as Kakarot was around, he would make a suitable tool to get him there. Then again, perhaps Vegeta was better off traveling through space separately from Kakarot. It would keep Frieza hunting longer if he was being led in different directions, therefore buying Vegeta more time to reach his goal.

Goku chuckled mischievously in response to something Frieza said. "You can try. But I won't make it easy for you." He glanced at Vegeta. "I don't think Vegeta will, either."

Vegeta scoffed and turned his nose up at Goku. Of course he wouldn't make anything easy for Frieza. He was determined to destroy the villain for all the trouble he'd caused over Vegeta's entire life. He would finally find his vengeance against the tyrant once they met again. Vegeta's lip twitched into a devious smile. He hated to agree with Kakarot, but the lesser man actually had a good plan.

When Goku clicked his scouter off and ended the communication without another word, Vegeta crossed his arms and eyed the other Saiyan in silence. Goku sighed heavily before meeting the gazes of his astounded Earthling counterparts.

"You're…" Three-eyes raised a brow, "you're really leaving Earth again, Goku?"

Goku raised a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah. Sorry, guys. I can't let Frieza come near Earth." A look of realization struck Goku as he turned to Dodoria. "You didn't tell him that we revived everyone here, did you?"

Dodoria gaped and blinked. "Uh…n-no…"

"Good." Goku sighed. "So he won't come looking."

"Dad," the boy whimpered and stepped forward, reaching for his father, "you just got back. Can't you stay a little longer?"

Goku's frown deepened as he looked down to meet his son's pathetically weepy gaze. Vegeta scoffed through his teeth. The boy's human side was showing.

"Sorry, Gohan. I have to leave now. I'll be back though, after Frieza's dead."

"Goku," the Namek crossed his arms, "who is this Frieza you keep talking about?"

Vegeta groaned. He didn't know if he could tolerate any more redundant questions from people who had no business being involved in any of this. "He calls himself the ruler of the universe and has a particular hatred for us Saiyans."

Scar-face glared directly at Vegeta. "I can relate to that."

Vegeta and Goku both snorted in amusement, but it was Vegeta who addressed that ridiculous remark with a threatening raise of his fist. "I could justify that remark for you right now."

"Okay, okay, Vegeta." Goku laughed it off with a dismissive wave. "Yamcha, trust me. This guy is a real threat. I need to take care of him." His gaze panned over the entire group. "You all need to keep training, in case he decides to send people here while I'm gone. Dodoria, do you think you can help with their training?"

Dodoria frowned as his brows knit with perplexity. "H-help?" He shrugged. "I…guess so."

"Great." Goku smiled widely before reaching down to ruffle his son's hair. "Get home to Mom, keep up your training, and you'll see, Gohan. I'll be back before you know it."

Vegeta scoffed through his teeth. "That's what you think."

Goku startled and looked at Vegeta.

"Don't think you can defeat Frieza anytime soon, Kakarot. It'll take more than basic training to get past him if you haven't measured up to him yet with that power."

Goku's face settled with a look of knowing. "Yeah. And he isn't even at his best yet."

Vegeta balked. "What?"

Dodoria chuckled. "So, you figured that out, did you, Goku?"

"Figured what out?" Vegeta asked Goku.

"Frieza can increase his power somehow. I know it. He hardly even exerted himself when he trained me, and I was giving him everything I had." Goku grit his teeth. "But we have to beat him somehow."

Vegeta smirked. "I don't know about _you_ beating him. But _I_ plan to."

Goku smiled genuinely at Vegeta. "Alright. We'll see who meets Frieza first." He turned to Dodoria. "Mind if I take your ship?"

Dodoria shrugged. "I'm not using it anymore. This planet and Namek are probably the safest planets in the universe now." He chuckled. "You just better defeat Frieza, Goku, because if he catches up with me here, I'll be blaming _you_ for my death when we meet again in Hell."

Goku chuckled guiltily. "Yeah, you and a lot of other people."

"Kakarot, I haven't forgotten your betrayal." As Goku nodded at Vegeta's words, he continued, "but Frieza is the one I want to destroy more than any other right now. After him, I still plan to deal with you."

"If we survive fighting Frieza, that is."

Vegeta smiled wryly. "Right."

Surviving a battle against Frieza would certainly be a challenge, but it would be one Vegeta's entire lifetime of purging and fighting had been building towards. He couldn't fail in that fight. His entire race and planet needed to be avenged, and he would not fail them against that monster that he detested more than anyone. With determination, Vegeta turned towards his abandoned space pod before noticing the approach of a flying vehicle. He halted his step as it landed intently in the middle of the field of fighters.

"Bulma." Yamcha said.

The brat blinked at the ship as a dust cloud spread from beneath its landing gear. "Bulma?"

"What is she doing here?" Three-eyes groaned.

Vegeta crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the ship. He would have already left, but seeing that the new arrival drew even Kakarot's attention, he was intrigued. Out of the vehicle stepped a slender, delicate-looking woman with shoulder-length blue hair, blue eyes, and hardly any power that Vegeta could sense. He let out a curt chuckle at the absurdity of it. He couldn't imagine what a woman like that was doing at a place which would have potentially been the scene of a fierce battle if it hadn't been for an unexpected turn of events.

The woman smiled. "Hello!"

"Bulma!" Yamcha yelled back, nearly dashing towards her, but stopping himself abruptly after only half a step.

Bulma frowned and crossed her arms as she looked at the scar-faced human. She looked like she was about to get fired up about something before Goku stepped forward with a friendly wave. "Hey, Bulma."

"Goku!" She ran towards him and furtively searched the scene as a look of confusion crossed her face, "is no one going to fight?"

Vegeta growled at her, causing the woman to recoil in fear. "Does this look like a fight?" He turned to Goku. "Kakarot, what is this woman doing here? And what are you waiting for?" At Goku's blank look, Vegeta growled in frustration. "I'm leaving to defeat Frieza, whether you are or not!"

"Hey!" Goku said, "hold on, Vegeta. I just want to say something before we go. Sheesh."

"Who's Frieza?" Bulma asked. When Goku turned to face Bulma again, she tilted her head curiously and reached for the scouter on his ear. "And what's this device you're wearing, Goku? Isn't this the thing Raditz wore?"

"Oh!" Goku said. "It's my scouter. Well, not mine, but…"

The woman removed the device from Goku's ear and examined it curiously while Vegeta rolled his eyes. Earth's technology was apparently so far behind that the humans had to find every little piece of equipment from space absolutely fascinating. They could waste their time on it for all he cared, but he wasn't waiting a second longer to leave the Earth and prepare for Frieza.

Vegeta growled with exertion as he forcefully launched himself away from the group, towards his space pod. He could sense the others reacting to his abrupt departure, but he didn't care. The only one of them he ever intended to see again was Kakarot, and like Kakarot said, there was a good chance that one or both of them would be dead before that happened.

When his pod launched into the atmosphere, destined for a nearby solar system, Vegeta smiled to himself. He would reach the level of the Super Saiyan, and only then would he face Frieza, who would finally meet his match against the power of a Super Saiyan.

* * *

After she scanned enough radio transmissions to locate the spaceships that invaded Earth's atmosphere, Bulma had been fired up to get to that battlefield, but now that she was there, it wasn't quite the same. The scene was not at all what she expected to find, actually. At least the hostile Saiyan left the planet peacefully enough, but it seemed the other alien was there to stay.

"Bulma, I need to get going, too."

At Goku's unexpected words, Bulma gasped and met the impatient gaze of her longtime friend. He couldn't leave them again so soon. Was he really planning to abandon them after everything that happened the first time he left? No. Bulma shook her head. Goku didn't abandon them the first time-he wouldn't ever do that. Goku was always going where the fight was, so maybe there was a bigger problem in space that needed his attention.

"Bulma?"

"Oh." Bulma shook off the errant thoughts and offered the interesting piece of alien technology back to Goku, thinking he would need it in order to leave.

"Keep it." Goku said as he pressed the device back into Bulma's palm. "If you can figure out how to work it, the scouter communicates across space and reads power levels."

Absorbing the additional information, Bulma inspected the device again closely. "Hmm. If you can work this thing," she said as she attached it to her ear, "then I definit-"

When alien symbols flashed across the lens, Bulma's face dropped. Goku chuckled at her reaction.

"Goku," Bulma said as she clicked her finger against the scouter repeatedly, "what language is this?"

Goku shrugged and glanced at the hideous alien, who frowned indifferently.

Bulma furrowed her brows before looking at Goku. "But you understand this?"

Goku shrugged again. "Sure."

Bulma removed the device from her ear and placed it in her pocket. "It'll take some time, but I'll figure it out."

"Or," the alien grumbled, "you _could_ just ask me."

Bulma grimaced before chuckling nervously at the odd creature. Aside from Piccolo, she'd never seen anyone so…intimidating in appearance. "N-no, thanks."

A sour expression crossed the alien's ugly face. "You don't want anything to do with me because I look hideous, is that it?"

"No," Bulma chuckled again and clenched her teeth as she shook her head, "of course not."

"It is." He sighed. "This isn't my real face, you know. I need to learn to live with it, though."

Bulma raised her brows. "Really?"

He nodded and smiled smugly. "You should have seen me _before_."

"Bulma, I really need to get going." Goku said. "But I have a favor to ask first."

"What did you look like before?" Bulma asked the alien, ignoring Goku.

As a proud smirk crossed the alien's face, Goku groaned in frustration, while Yamcha stepped forward with a glare. "Bulma!"

Bulma blushed at Yamcha's reprimand when she realized everyone was staring at her, before Goku spoke. "Dodoria will be staying here on Earth to train everyone, Bulma." For once, Bulma felt thankful for Goku's short attention span. "Since they'll all be busy, I was hoping you could gather the Dragonballs once they're active."

"Huh?" Bulma startled. "Gather the Dragonballs for what?"

Goku scratched his head. "I don't know yet. But there's a good chance we're going to need them with what's coming."

Bulma blinked. "What's coming?"

Goku smiled before forcing his face into a serious expression. "An exciting battle. One that could change the universe." His eyes sparkled with that anticipation that Bulma had seen too many times for her to fail to recognize. "I need to start my training right away. Take care, everyone!"

Bulma screamed when Goku launched into the atmosphere, less abruptly than the other Saiyan had done earlier, but still powerful enough to knock her off her feet from such close proximity. A forceful gust of air threw Bulma tumbling back through the air until Gohan jumped up and caught her. She turned in surprise to eye the small boy. He had certainly grown a lot since she last saw him. He looked stronger, too. Those guys really knew how to accomplish a lot in a week.

"Thanks, Gohan. Well," Bulma brushed herself off as her feet hit the ground again, "I wanted to see the fight. But apparently, coming here was a mistake." Bulma frowned at the alien and took a cautious step closer to her friends.

Yamcha followed Bulma's gaze and narrowed his eyes at the alien.

Tien clenched his jaw, before Piccolo spoke. "Do you really intend to train us, Dodoria?"

Dodoria shrugged. "It wasn't my intention when I came here, no."

Yamcha pushed Bulma gently behind him and settled into an aggressive stance. Bulma quivered at the alarming change in atmosphere. Maybe a fight was about to happen. But the alien seemed so nice.

Dodoria sighed impassively. "But…it's what Goku wanted, and I guess I might as well while I'm hiding out here on the safety of this planet." He smirked. "Of course, if it gets boring, I could always settle into my old methods of entertaining myself."

Bulma's eyes widened, and before anyone else could display more aggression towards the alien in reaction to those words, she stepped forward. "No need for that! If you need a place to stay, you should come to Capsule Corporation! We have plenty of room, and plenty of entertainment. You'll never be bored enough to-" Bulma grimaced before forcing a smile "-to feel the need to do anything violent."

"Violent?" Dodoria frowned. "I'm talking about cooking."

"Ohhhh!" Bulma laughed in relief, as everyone else did as well. The tension immediately dissolved from the atmosphere. "Well, Yamcha might give you a few pointers. He's quite the cook. Goku's wife, Chi-Chi really knows how to make a great dish, too."

Dodoria suddenly became serious. "Goku's wife. I need to taste her cooking."

Bulma blinked, surprised by his sudden intensity. "O-okay." She glanced questioningly over her shoulder at the others, who looked just as taken aback as she felt. "Gohan?"

Gohan looked at the alien skeptically before rubbing the back of his head with a wary frown. "I-I guess you can follow me home, Dodoria. Mom won't mind," he winced, "hopefully."

"Hey!" Piccolo yelled before Gohan and Dodoria could launch into the air towards Mt. Paozu. "You still need to follow through on that promise to Goku. I expect some impressive training from you. If this Frieza ever comes to Earth, I intend-"

"If Frieza ever comes to Earth," Dodoria chuckled mockingly, "you'll all die, no matter how much you train. I don't know why Goku wants you to waste your time. I'm just agreeing to this for the hell of it. There's nothing in it for me beyond passing time."

Piccolo glared. "You'd better take this more seriously or-"

Dodoria blew a dismissive raspberry. "Or what? Don't make me laugh." He turned to Gohan. "Gohan, is it? Where's your house? I want to get started." He sent Piccolo one last glance over his shoulder. "I'll start the training tomorrow. You just better be prepared for pain."

As Gohan and the bizarre alien launched into the air, Bulma crossed her arms and sighed.

"What do you think about all of this, Yamcha?" Tien asked, drawing Bulma's attention towards the serious mood of the three men remaining in the open battlefield with her.

Yamcha sighed and scratched his neck. "Goku's certainly…different, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Tien nodded.

Bulma nodded as well. There was no denying that. But she knew, deep down, he was the same Goku. She trusted him to keep them safe from harm, even if he _did_ just leave the planet.

"I don't trust that other Saiyan." Tien said.

Yamcha scowled. "Me, neither." He met Tien's eyes, then Bulma's with a sparkle of hope. "But we have to trust in Goku. He wouldn't let anything happen to the Earth, not after everything he went through to bring us back."

Bulma nodded and opened her mouth to agree, but she was cut off when Tien broke in abruptly, "Are you sure about that? We have to realize that something changed Goku in space. We have to be prepared to rely on ourselves for now. This training is really important."

"It's time to get serious." Yamcha somberly agreed, before turning to Bulma. "Mind giving us a lift?"

Bulma looked at her Capsule plane and nodded in agreement, but Tien shook his head in refusal. "No, thanks. I'll fly on my own."

Bulma frowned as Tien launched into the sky with a somber expression. The sadness in his voice was apparent. It was clear he was struggling with the loss of Chiaotzu. Bulma hoped their three dead friends could still be resurrected somehow. For the time being, she would have to settle for doing her part. Collecting Earth's Dragonballs would have to be her great contribution to keeping the Earth safe from any more harm and from this Frieza that Goku and the other aliens from space were so concerned about. If they were scared, she most certainly never wanted that monster to come to Earth.

Bulma only hoped Goku knew what he was doing, and that he and the other Saiyan could succeed. She couldn't believe she was rooting for a pair of Saiyans. But from what she gathered during that brief encounter, this Frieza was much more threatening than the Saiyans had ever been. Bulma had faith that Goku would come back to Earth safely after this was all over. Then, hopefully, she and her friends could return to a state of normalcy and live their lives in peace. They deserved it after all they'd been through so far, and all they still had coming.


	26. Missing You

A/N: So this is a very fast update for this story, but I've had the time to work on it now and I had to get my DBZ fix from somewhere, because I am too hyped waiting to find out who this Goku Black is in the upcoming Future Trunks saga. Sorry if you haven't been watching Super and that comment loses you or spoils anything, but I am seriously excited for an evil Goku. I have to know who he is, or how he came about! I've heard all the theories, but I really want to see where the show is actually going with his origin, and I hope they don't disappoint by making the villain have no real connection to the real Goku. So, anyways, my excitement resulted in another chapter of _this_ story, at least. Enjoy.

* * *

This had gone on long enough. Those Saiyans were outliving their termination date, and Frieza wasn't having any of it. With all the men under his command, was it really possible that none of them could successfully pinpoint and follow at least one of those two Saiyans?

After a month of reported sightings and subsequent deaths of each of his men who attempted to follow or apprehend Goku or Vegeta, Frieza had lost what little confidence he had left in anyone's abilities but his own. He could turn to his father for assistance, but damn it, he wanted to take care of those two on his own, even if they _were_ occasionally weaving their way through his father's and brother's territories of the universe.

"Lord Frieza."

Frieza scowled, not bothering to turn around at the voice of his new right hand man, whose professionalism and charisma paled in comparison to Zarbon and Dodoria. Frieza immediately scoffed to himself for even _momentarily_ thinking highly of those two disappointments. What was his universe coming to?

"We've received a new report. Captain Ginyu's space pod in which Kakarot-er-Goku has been traveling was spotted in the Eastern quadrant, entering the atmosphere of Planet Yardrat, Sir."

Frieza pressed his chin to his chest. "Has anyone pursued him, Appule?"

"Yes, Lord Frieza! Renji and his fleet have landed on Yardrat and they're in hot pursuit!"

Frieza sighed. This was bound to be another incident of one of those Saiyans slipping through his fingers and more dead, useless soldiers. If he was to destroy those filthy, detestable monkeys once and for all, he'd have to do it himself. But Renji had certainly just ruined whatever chances Frieza might've had of finding Goku on Yardrat before the turncoat monkey would flee.

Now he'd have to wait for another report. Then he'd make sure no one's interference would ruin things by alerting the Saiyans of the Planet Trade Organization's awareness of their presence.

"Next time," Frieza growled through clenched teeth, "order the men to stand down. I will pursue the Saiyans myself."

Appule audibly balked.

Frieza didn't have to turn around and face him to know how shocked Appule was by the decision. Frieza would have been as well, if he didn't understand the necessity of this. As fury coursed through his veins, Frieza curled his fists tightly by his sides. He could not tolerate what the Saiyans' continual evasion was doing to his image. His men all had to know he was formidable and unapproachable and that _no one_ could survive challenging him. But the Saiyans so obviously were doing just that. He felt like they were making a mockery of him throughout the universe; _that_ he absolutely would not tolerate.

Appule hesitated before adding, "Also, Lord Frieza, I have a list here of planets with buyers. All planets have been cleared of lifeforms and should be ready for their assimilation into the empire as Frieza Planets 218 through 241." He handed the paper to Frieza, which Frieza accepted with an over-the-shoulder reach of his hand, "Would you like me to send teams to prepare them for inhabitation of our soldiers?"

Frieza glanced at the list. Twenty or so new planets added to his empire-that certainly brightened his day. Nothing quelled Frieza's fury like knowing he had more control-more power-than ever before. Of course, smashing someone's face under his foot had the same satisfying effect and yielded much more immediate reward.

Frieza speculatively glanced over his shoulder at Appule's purple, stoic, clueless visage. Ah, maybe another time. He couldn't bother with tolerating another new replacement henchman at the moment. For the time being, the new planets under his complete control offered enough satisfaction to cleanse his blood of the heated fury that had been coursing through him with the thoughts of those Saiyans.

"Yes." Frieza answered Appule's earlier question absently. He looked over the list in his hands with a fond smile. Smoot, Asai, Swisch, Earth, Kaffee, Quish...

As the list went on, Frieza's smile grew, and not just because of the added planets under his control. Frieza cackled gleefully, "I literally have these planets in the palm of my hand."

"Y-yes, Lord Frieza." Appule agreed, though by his tone it was clear that the yesman had no idea what Frieza found so amusing.

"Do you know one of these planets was the home of one of those filthy Saiyans?"

Appule's brows rose. "Which one, Lord Frieza?"

"Doesn't matter." Frieza released the list from his grip, allowing it to float towards the floor. When the edge of the paper scraped lightly against the side of his foot, Frieza glared at the paper, as if the planet Earth and every other planet on that list were actually there at his feet.

"Perhaps," Appule said, "you'd rather that planet be _destroyed_ than colonized?"

Frieza growled as he summoned ki through his eyes and a beam of red subsequently singed the paper at his feet. He smiled as he watched it burn to a crisp. "No. I rather enjoy the thought of keeping and possessing that which Goku could never have again."

"Yes, Lord Frieza. Would you like to schedule a visit to the planet to see your prize for yourself?"

Frieza frowned in consideration of the idea. "No. I have plenty of time for that. For now, I have a pair of disobedient apes on the loose who need to be put down." Frieza turned to Appule with an insistent glare. "You make sure I know as soon as one of them is found again, Appule, and do not let anyone go near them until I say so."

Appule bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Frieza!"

Frieza frowned. "And-"

Appule's brows rose high when Frieza stopped abruptly.

Frieza growled, "Never mind."

As Appule bowed again and turned to leave, the stiffness and formality of the interaction made Frieza's stomach turn. It was bad enough his empire and reputation were being affected by those elusive Saiyans, but he could've really used an understanding sounding board at a time like this. Appule certainly did not fit the bill, and probably never would.

Frieza groaned as he focused his view out the massive window of his chamber. Stars, stars stars. Always so many stars in space. He wondered what would happen if he destroyed them all. Conquering planets was profitable and entertaining, but destroying them was much more so, especially at a time like this. Maybe he'd get lucky and unknowingly terminate a planet where one of those Saiyans currently resided.

He still could not get past Vegeta's betrayal. Vegeta had been one of the most reliable, wonderfully brutal soldiers in his empire for such a long time. Had he no appreciation for the upbringing Frieza had offered him? For being spared from the demise of the rest of his detestable species?

And Goku. That low class Saiyan asked Frieza to help him find vengeance against his brother. He got what he wanted, with the gift of Frieza's help and training, and yet now he _dared_ to cavort around the universe claiming he would find Frieza and defeat him?

It was Frieza's own fault, he supposed. He spoiled those Saiyans, and now they felt entitled. Well, if he continued having trouble tracking them, then he knew they'd meet again eventually when the Saiyans would find _him_. Goku's words via scouter were certainly no farce.

So let them train. They could train to their heart's content. They could struggle to reach the Super Saiyan fantasy Vegeta had dreamed of for so long, for as long as it took. Because when they did meet Frieza again, Frieza would show them both just how wrong they were to go against him. He would make them sorry- _beyond_ sorry- for having ever turned against their mentor and master. Frieza would remind them, and the entire universe, that Frieza was above _all_.

* * *

The sound of Piccolo's heavy sigh disrupted the peaceful twittering of birds and woodland creatures surrounding the Son home on Mt. Paozu. Gohan lifted his chin to curiously eye the serious expression on Piccolo's face, before Dodoria's footsteps came from the house, loudly thumping from behind them, to which Piccolo reacted by turning his disappointed frown into a hard glare.

"Dodoria," Piccolo said, "this isn't going to work anymore. Gohan and I need better training than you can offer."

Just like Gohan, Dodoria widened his eyes in surprise, before he let loose a derisive scoff. "Hey, if it weren't for me, you never would've reached the power level you're at now."

"That's right, Piccolo." Gohan said. "Dodoria's doing his best to train us."

"But that's just it." Piccolo glared at Dodoria. "His best isn't good enough anymore. We've surpassed him, and he's given up on advancing his power."

Dodoria growled and leaned domineeringly into Piccolo. "I haven't given up." He sneered. "I just have other things to think about."

Piccolo bared his teeth and leaned forward in challenge. Gohan grimaced at the apparent problem starting between the two aliens who had oddly become his training mentors over the past months, likely because Piccolo refused to take a break, even when all the others had, and because Dodoria-their trainer from space-was currently residing in his home, with his mother's reluctant permission. Gohan debated whether to head inside and summon her to break things up before this could get any worse. If anyone could give those two orders, it was his mother.

"What could be more important," Piccolo growled, "than training to defend the Earth?"

"How many times do I have to say it?" Dodoria glared harder and raised his fist. "You can't defend-"

"Dodoria!" The cheery call from the house alerted Dodoria to look towards the kitchen window. "Your soup's boilin' over!"

Dodoria gasped. "My soup!"

Gohan sighed heavily in relief as Dodoria dashed past Piccolo, into the house, causing Piccolo to groan dismissively and roll his eyes before grumbling, "That man's almost as foolish as your father."

Gohan chuckled uneasily. "Speaking of Dad…when do you think-"

"He'll be back, Gohan." Piccolo smiled fondly as their eyes met. "Your father said he would be back when Frieza was defeated, and he will."

Gohan smiled. "I know. But…what if something happened to him?"

Piccolo smiled knowingly. "If I know your father, it'll be _Frieza_ who meets his end, not the other way around." He frowned and gazed towards the sky. "Besides, I mean what I said earlier, Gohan. You and I are going to start training more seriously. I have a feeling…"

As Piccolo trailed off with his gaze becoming more pensive, Gohan cocked his head curiously. "What is it, Piccolo?"

"Nothing." He lowered his gaze to smile at Gohan again. "Let's get inside. I think your lunch is ready, if your mother's call was any indication. She won't like it if you let it get cold."

"No," Gohan shook his head, "I don't think Dodoria would be happy about that, either."

Piccolo scoffed, but walked along with Gohan anyways, heading inside the house.

"Besides," Gohan added as they walked, "we need to get ready for Bulma's party after lunch. You're coming, too, aren't you, Piccolo?"

Piccolo grimaced, making Gohan feel certain that the surly man would disagree, but as they stepped into the house, Piccolo's resolve visibly crumbled upon meeting Gohan's hopeful gaze. Gohan returned a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"Gohan, Piccolo." Chi-Chi greeted with a smile as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Wash up for lunch. It's all ready."

"Alright!" Gohan cheered. He skipped towards the bathroom as the smells from the delicious meal concocted by his mother and Dodoria wafted through the air.

The meals seemed to be getting better and better the longer the two of them kept at it with their competitive edge in the kitchen. He knew his dad would be thrilled to return and indulge in that treat as Gohan had been doing. If only he would return soon.

Gohan sighed as he began washing his hands. He really missed his dad. He could tell his mother did, too, though she didn't understand at all why Goku had left Earth in the first place. Gohan almost envied her for that, because in addition to missing his father, he'd been worrying about him. As long as his father hadn't returned, Gohan would continue to worry. How could he not, knowing his father was going to challenge the most dangerous person in the universe, who wanted him dead?

Gohan hopped off the step stool and darted into the kitchen, though there was no cause for a race. Piccolo and Dodoria ate so rarely and so little, and his mother was still in the habit of cooking for bigger appetites than the ones with which she'd been dealing over the past months since their resurrection.

As Gohan sat across from his mother for lunch, he ate in pensive silence while the murmur of a much more civilized argument between Dodoria and Piccolo continued over training and Frieza. From what Dodoria said about Frieza, the man frightened Gohan. Dodoria portrayed him as seemingly invincible and spiteful, especially towards Saiyans-even more so towards his father and that Vegeta. Maybe it was because they were the only two Saiyans left. Gohan was just relieved that Frieza didn't know about _his_ existence. Well-trained and powerful as he was now, the idea of actually facing someone like that in a serious battle frightened him.

"Fine with me." Dodoria finally conceded to Piccolo's argument for training with crossed arms and a dismissive air.

Gohan pushed his emptied plate away and smiled at the signaled end of another argument. Strangely, he had grown fond of those two. It was still nothing like having his dad around, but he enjoyed Piccolo and Dodoria's presence and guidance in different ways. When the others came around Mt. Paozu to join them in training, it was even better. He had never been used to so much company. Speaking of which…Gohan glanced at the clock. It really was time to get going.

Chi-Chi followed Gohan's gaze. "Time to get dressed for the party, young man."

Gohan hopped from his seat, ready to obey, until his mother's voice halted him. "And dress in your nice clothes I laid out for you."

Gohan grimaced, his shoulders nearly touching his ears as he carefully evaded his mother's gaze. He really wished she hadn't said that, because in addition to the short, bowl-shaped haircut she'd given him recently, the overdressed uniform she had chosen for him would probably make him the laughingstock of the party. He was just glad his dad wasn't around to see him like this. "Mom…"

"Hurry up, Gohan!" Chi-Chi clapped her hands. "I can't wait to see everyone's reaction to how cute you'll look."

Gohan groaned as he heard Dodoria chuckling at his expense. The loud whack that followed and abruptly ended the chuckling somewhat satisfied Gohan before he entered his room and eyed the dreaded garments on his bed.

There was no point in arguing with his mom-not on his own, at least. Piccolo often defended him from his mother, but only in regard to training. It was moments like this that really made Gohan wish his dad would come back soon. He was the only one who could make his mother change her mind after she had her heart set on something. Although, his dad usually gave in to her whims on these types of matters, so Gohan realized his wishful thinking was just as useless as fighting it.

With a resigned sigh, Gohan reached for the hem of his casual shirt and reluctantly began dressing for the Capsule Corporation party, which would celebrate its efforts in completing the rejuvenation of West City, as well as many other major cities throughout their previously decimated world. Overdressed or not, Gohan knew the party was bound to be fun, and he couldn't wait to reunite with his father's friends he hadn't seen in nearly a month.

* * *

He stood with his hands in the soft pockets of his dressy slacks, passively watching the hustle and bustle of arriving guests. Aside from Oolong (who was crawling beneath the tables in a humiliating fashion to peek beneath women's dresses) and Puar (who hovered near his shoulder), and Bulma and her parents (who were all busy hosting), no one had arrived at Capsule Corporation that Yamcha knew yet. That thought about hosting reminded him of something. Yamcha was pretty sure Bulma had asked him to help with the party. As a few bots drifted past, delivering beverages to their rightful tables and filling coolers around the new pool of the rebuilt Capsule Corporation's yard, Yamcha casually took in the scene.

"Yamcha," a furry tail fell on him along with Puar's scolding tone, "didn't Bulma ask you to help with the door?"

Yamcha frowned. "I don't know what she needs _my_ help for. This place has enough robots and employees to do that kind of stuff." At Puar's disapproving frown, Yamcha added, "Don't worry, Puar. Bulma's got it covered. She lives for this stuff."

Puar crossed her paws and smiled uneasily, but didn't say another word. Yamcha turned to smile at the passing figure of a beautiful young woman, who handed Yamcha a drink without a word before smiling at him a little too flirtatiously for his comfort. Warily, Yamcha put down the drink and searched his surroundings for any sign of Bulma.

"Yamcha!" He jumped at the sudden, loud call of his name from Dr. Brief, as did the small kitty on Dr. Brief's shoulder, which climbed back on his perch as Dr. Brief continued, "Any word from Goku? How's he enjoying his vacation?"

"Vacation?" Puar asked.

Yamcha shrugged his shoulders at Puar. "Uh, Dr. Brief, Goku's not on vacation, he's-"

"Where are all your other friends?" Dr. Brief patted the head of his kitty and stuck a cigarette between his lips. "Don't tell me we only invited our employees and West City officials for this party."

Yamcha smiled at the old man. "No, Dr. Brief. Bulma made sure to invite everyone."

Puar floated over Yamcha's other shoulder. "They're all coming."

As if summoned by Puar's words, Gohan came running from around the corner, shortly followed by Chi-Chi. Yamcha smiled fondly at the cheerful pair, until Dodoria and Piccolo appeared from around the corner, trailing a few feet behind them. Yamcha scowled at the sight of those two. They were likely going to ruin the party with their antisocial behavior and grumpy attitudes. Yamcha already knew who _he'd_ be avoiding during the party.

"Hi, Yamcha! Hi, Puar!"

"Hey, Gohan." Yamcha smiled as his eyes met Gohan's exuberant, youthful face, and then Chi-Chi's beautiful smile. "Hi, Chi-Chi."

"Yamcha!" Yamcha winced at the harsh tone of the other woman coming from behind him. "What have you been doing for the past ten minutes? Didn't I ask you to answer the door?"

Puar's tail tapped Yamcha harshly on the back of his head. "See? I warned you."

Yamcha turned around with a frown. "Bulma, what's wrong with enjoying the party a little bit? Our friends are showing up now." As Bulma's eyes widened in realization when she looked past Yamcha to see the new arrivals, Yamcha rubbed his hand against the back of his head with a relieved smile. "See?"

Bulma's stern glare turned into a sweet smile. "Gohan! Chi-Chi! When did you get here?"

Chi-Chi stepped forward and offered the bag she had been holding to Bulma. "Just now, and here. This is just a little something I made for the party."

Bulma accepted the bag, peeked inside and nodded. "Oh, than-"

"And _this_ ," brashly interrupted a deep voice as Dodoria stepped forward and dropped a heavy dish into Yamcha's unsuspecting arms, "is a little something _I_ made for the party."

Yamcha yelped as he shot his hands forward to accept the dish before it would crash to the ground. Strangely, the moment reminded him of earlier training incidents with the big, demanding mutant.

"Ugh," Bulma rolled her eyes, "are you two at it again? You know my parents had enough food prepared for this party, don't you?"

"I know," Chi-Chi smiled sweetly and clasped her hands by her waist, "but just taste it and let me know what you think."

Dodoria stepped forward. " _After_ you try-"

"Hey!" Yamcha stepped in front of his girlfriend, saving her from the onslaught that was coming from the warring cooks, "save it for Goku, will you? He'll be back soon enough. Spare the rest of us. Please."

Chi-Chi and Dodoria exchanged a speechless glance before Chi-Chi placed her hands on her hips and glared with determination. " _My_ Goku knows where to find good food when he returns. The poor thing was probably suffering all that time he spent out in space without me."

Bulma handed off her food to Yamcha, causing him to grimace at the added armful as Bulma smiled at Gohan. "Gohan, you look cute. Is that a new outfit?"

As a miserable frown and pink blush crossed Gohan's face, Yamcha felt awkwardly sympathetic for the kid. He turned away from Puar to retreat to some empty table space to unload the foods, unable to control the snicker that escaped his lips. Gohan might've reminded him of Goku when he was little at times, but Yamcha was pretty sure that if Goku had grown up with a mom, he _still_ never would've walked around looking like that as a kid.

Sighing with relief, Yamcha freed his hands as he set the dishes on the table and some bots set to work unwrapping the packages of food. He leaned a hand against the table and placed the other on his hip, casually debating whether to return to the group. Bulma was all hyped up, talking to the others about some invention she was working on for when Goku returned.

Yamcha crossed his arms with a pout. He'd never heard anything about this new project, and he wondered why she'd started on such an endeavor already. Bulma never made anything to help her boyfriend's training. As a matter of fact, she'd been working so much on that scouter and trying to communicate with people in space, that she claimed not to have any time for a _lot_ of things, let alone new secret projects.

"Hi, Yamcha." Yamcha broke his musings to look up at the face of the somber voice addressing him.

"Tien," a small smile crossed Yamcha's face, "I'm glad you're here."

Tien broke his usual scowl to smile, an expression that almost looked painful on the consistently gloomy man. "Sure, I'm here. I wouldn't leave you outnumbered by all the women and aliens."

Yamcha laughed and stuck his hands back in his pants pockets. "Yeah, I guess not. I really miss Krillin and Master Roshi, probably as much as you miss Chiaotzu."

Tien lowered his gaze and shook his head as he spoke in a whisper, "Not as much as I miss Chiaotzu."

Yamcha smiled sadly at his friend. He really regretted having mentioned the little guy's name. He needed to do something about his tendency to shove his foot in his mouth. This was a party, and the mood was supposed to be light-hearted. They were celebrating the revived, renewed Planet Earth. Hopefully, with Goku gone for so long, Piccolo wasn't thinking of conquering the temptingly thriving planet again. The way their training had been going, Piccolo _could_ just be the strongest being on the planet.

Yamcha inhaled sharply and stood at attention. He was glad he didn't manage to think that thought out loud. Talking about such negative thoughts would be counterproductive right now. But without Goku, Krillin, Master Roshi, or even Chiaotzu there to bring their lighthearted, uplifting spirit to the party, it was difficult to stick to light conversation. If only he could talk to them again right now.

 _"Yamcha."_ Yamcha gasped and his eyes bulged at the voice he never expected to hear at this party. _"Tien."_

Tien's eyes bulged too as he looked at Yamcha. At least Yamcha knew he wasn't crazy if Tien was hearing it, too. But when the disembodied voice chuckled at their expense, Yamcha knit his brows in perplexity and grimaced towards the sky. "K-Krillin?"

Krilin's unmistakable laughter filled his ears. _"Yeah! It's me, Buddy!"_

"Krillin," Tien frowned deeply as his brows lowered, "where are you? I thought you were dead."

 _"I am."_ Krillin deadpanned. _"But I'm alright with it for now. I'm talking to you telepathically through someone-King Kai. Recognize the name?"_

Tien gasped as Yamcha blurted his response, "the guy at the end of Snake Way?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Krillin chuckled, _"we finally made it to the end after you guys were revived. We've been training up here while you've been training down there."_

An unfamiliar voice broke in, _"I'm not a 'guy', I'm a god. Show a little respect if you're going to talk about me!"_

Yamcha frowned. He was completely lost. "Uh…"

 _"That's King Kai."_ Krillin clarified. _"He's been keeping an eye on everybody on Earth for us. Your training's lookin' good, but I don't know if you'll be as advanced as we're getting up here."_

At Krillin's playfully smug tone, Yamcha laughed. "We'll see about that. We just need to bring you back to life already. Hey!" Yamcha's eyes widened with a sudden thought. "Are the others with you?"

 _"Oh, yeah!"_ Krillin said. _"Tien, there's someone here who wants to say hi."_

 _"Ten!"_ Tien's jaw dropped at the small voice. _"I've missed you!"_

Tien's eyes watered as a smile slowly crept across his face. "Chiaotzu…"

 _"Don't worry, Tien, we're fine up here for as long as we need to be. King Kai says we can still be revived."_

Tien laughed. "That's great news, Chiaotzu!"

 _"I'm here, too, in case anyone cares!"_

Yamcha exchanged a knowing smile with Tien. "Master Roshi!"

Tien beamed. "You're training, too?"

 _"No,"_ Master Roshi's voice became serious, _"I'm just keeping an eye on Krillin and Chiaotzu's training, in c-"_

 _"Alright, alright! That's enough!"_ King Kai's voice cut in. _"I'm not a telephone! You can catch up when you're alive again. We didn't contact them for this!"_

Yamcha furrowed his brows. "Is there a problem?"

Tien stepped forward hastily. "Is Goku alright?"

 _"Goku's fine, guys."_ Krillin's voice assured them, just as their other friends from Bulma's conversation came curiously meandering over. _"King Kai's been keeping track of him ever since Goku and those other two guys traveled to Earth. Goku's training just like the rest of us."_

The grasp of Bulma's warm hand on his bicep caused Yamcha to turn and smile at his girlfriend, who was smiling uneasily towards the sky. It was apparent that he and Tien weren't the only ones who could hear the voices.

"Krillin?" Chi-Chi asked, "is that true? My Goku's safe?"

Gohan laughed in relief. "Dad!"

 _"W-well, I wouldn't say he's-"_

 _"Of course he's not safe!"_ King Kai said. _"He's planning to fight FRIEZA! Goku and Vegeta both must be suicidal! But what else do you expect from Saiyans? Hey! Did I ever tell you the joke about-"_

 _"Later, King Kai."_ Krillin interrupted.

Master Roshi blurted, _"Tell them about the spaceship!"_

 _"Right,"_ King Kai peevishly grumbled something under his breath, _"it's a good thing you've all been training, because even though Goku's fine, someone else will be coming to Earth before he does."_

Bulma's fingernails dug into Yamcha's bicep. "What?!"

"Ouch!"

Tien raised a brow at Yamcha's outcry but returned his attention to the voices from Otherworld while Piccolo stepped in seemingly from nowhere to cut into the conversation, "Who is approaching Earth now?"

 _"Aliens!"_ Master Roshi shouted, _"who do you think?!"_

Oolong hobbled between Yamcha and Bulma's legs. "Is that Master Roshi?"

Yamcha glanced at Oolong's astounded expression while Piccolo growled irritably. "Do they intend to harm the Earth or not?!"

 _"Guys,"_ Krillin huffed, _"do you really think we would bother to warn you when_ friendly _aliens are coming to Earth?"_

 _"But don't worry."_ King Kai assured while many concerned gazes were exchanged among the group. _"If you keep up with the training you've been doing, you should be able to handle them."_

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "So why are you really bothering with this warning?"

Yamcha raised his chin with a smug smile. "To say hi to their friends from the afterlife, that's why." He crossed his arms and met Piccolo's disbelieving gaze. "You might not know this, Piccolo, but friends- _human_ friends at least-care about each other."

 _"It's not that."_ King Kai said.

As Bulma met Yamcha's gaze with concern, Yamcha grit his teeth and flushed with embarrassment under the disbelieving gazes he received from the group.

"You mean Piccolo's right?" Gohan asked shyly. "There is something else?"

 _"King Kai really doesn't think Goku or Vegeta stand a chance against Frieza."_ Krillin said. _"Even with all the training they've been doing."_

Tien gasped. "You mean even a Saiyan doesn't stand a chance against this guy?"

"It's just like I've been telling you." Dodoria huffed indifferently from the distant sidelines.

 _"I'm afraid Dodoria's right."_ King Kai lamented. _"Frieza is just too powerful. And if he has a vendetta against the Saiyans, the best thing Earth can do is cut ties with them-distance yourselves from the Saiyans in order to save the Earth."_

Yamcha gaped. "Cut ties with Goku?"

"Well," Bulma chuckled nervously, "if Goku has to stay away to save the Earth, I'm sure he'd-"

"What?!" Chi-Chi growled furiously, glaring at Bulma while shaking a fist at the sky. "My husband has been away from Earth for long enough! He's coming back, whether a homicidal alien follows him here or not, do you hear me?!"

 _"Sheesh."_ King Kai said. _"Are human women always like this?"_

 _"Human women can be unreasonable,"_ Master Roshi grumbled, _"but the chance of seeing them is worth the chance of hearing them."_

Bulma and Chi-Chi both placed their hands on their hips indignantly. "What was that?!"

 _"Of course we all want Goku to return to Earth!"_ Krillin appeased, causing everyone to calm slightly. _"That's exactly what we told King Kai!"_

"Good." Yamcha sighed and smiled confidently. "Then it's settled. We'll just have to fight these invaders ourselves."

 _"No!"_ King Kai said. _"Nothing's settled! Don't any of you understand the danger that is Frieza?"_

Dodoria stepped forward and raised his hand beside his face. "I do."

Everyone else was reluctant to answer. Piccolo looked pleased by the prospect of aliens coming to invade the Earth. Tien even a little, too. Apparently, hearing from Chiaotzu really cheered him up. Everyone else frowned at Dodoria.

 _"He's the only one that gets it!"_ King Kai screamed in frustration. _"Those Saiyans will both die fighting Frieza, and once Frieza knows you're all alive, he'll come to Earth to kill you, too!"_

"Sorry, King Kai." Yamcha apologized with a shrug. "But it looks like we'll have to be prepared to fight, and wait and see."

"Right." Gohan heartily agreed, until Chi-Chi grasped him by the shoulder and pulled him close with a disapproving shake of her head.

"Now stop nagging us and get back to training the unrevived." Piccolo snapped. "We have more work to do down here."

 _"Nagging?!"_ King Kai shrieked. _"What did I tell you people about respecting a god when he's speaking to you?"_ King Kai followed his outburst with a growl of vexation as Piccolo was already walking away dismissively.

 _"Good luck, guys."_ Krillin said. _"Wish we could be there to help."_

"Thank you, Krillin!" Gohan called as his mother grasped his shoulders with a heartfelt smile towards the sky.

Tien smirked and followed Piccolo. Yamcha sighed. Apparently the others were all getting fired up about a fight now, but he really wanted to try enjoying the party. It had hardly started and there was already a dramatic moment interrupting the fun. Of course, the price was worth it, to have had a chance to hear from their old friends again. Yamcha realized as he looked around that the other people at the party seemed oblivious to their alarming, otherworldly conversation. He smiled as a beautiful woman passed with a cocktail in her hand and smiled at him. Maybe he could still join the party…

"Yamcha, I have something to tell you."

Yamcha turned in surprise to see the unusually serious look on Bulma's face. "What is it?"

"That scouter I was working on-"

"You heard news from space?"

"Ooh!" Bulma's mother appeared and leaned between them as if they were discussing juicy gossip, "did Bulma hear from Goku?"

"Mom." Bulma grumbled.

"Or was it that other handsome Saiyan Bulma mentioned?"

Bulma's face flushed red. "Mom!"

Yamcha frowned and narrowed his eyes at Bulma. " _Handsome_?"

"I never said that!" Bulma stomped her foot and glared at her mother. "I'm trying to tell Yamcha something important here, Mom!"

Mrs. Brief giggled. "Well, don't keep him waiting, Dear. It's not polite."

Bulma growled again before dismissing her mother by setting her gaze on Yamcha and raising her chin proudly. "I was able to work the scouter to check power levels and translate it into our language. But communicating to space was not as easily done."

Upon hearing Bulma's gloating tone, Yamcha scowled. "Bulma, are you really going to run me through the whole thing? I know you did something genius to figure it out. Just tell me what you heard."

Bulma crossed her arms with a huff. "No one has any appreciation for genius these days. Alright, a few days ago, I heard about an invasion coming to Earth." At Yamcha's disbelieving stare, Bulma shrugged dismissively. "I didn't think it was real, since we'd already _been_ invaded by Raditz. I was still working out the kinks when I heard that."

"You still should've told us."

"Well, I'm telling you now! The invasion ship should be landing here very soon. It's almost reached our moon. And…" Bulma trailed off with a worried grimace until her blue eyes met Yamcha's expectant gaze, "there was something said about 'Lord Frieza finally killing those pesky Saiyans'."

Yamcha's eyes widened, before he relaxed and smiled reassuringly at Bulma. "Hey, Krillin said Goku's fine. Whatever they're talking about out there in space is probably just that-talk. We both know Goku wouldn't go down easily in _any_ fight."

A hesitant smile crept on Bulma's face. "I guess." She leaned into Yamcha's chest and he wrapped his arms around her, surprised by the rare embrace. "I have a bad feeling about this one, though, Yamcha."

Wishing Krillin and the others could bestow more wisdom on them, Yamcha sighed and gazed up towards the sun. "We'll be alright, Bulma."

He only wished he knew that for certain. It was difficult to put so much faith in a changed Goku, especially when he was facing a monster no one could beat. And if Goku and Vegeta had no chance against Frieza, where did that leave Earth?

Thinking of that other Saiyan made Yamcha's frown deepen. He was curious what Bulma's mother was talking about with that 'handsome' remark. Did Bulma really talk about Vegeta to her parents? Of course, she would have relayed what happened when everyone met out there that day that Goku arrived and disappeared again. It was clear that her easily-smitten mother was very disappointed about Goku's absence from the party. _Everyone_ was disappointed by Goku's absence. He couldn't come back to them soon enough.

Yamcha's gaze remained fixed on the sunny sky as he rubbed Bulma's back and sighed heavily. "Come on, Goku. You have to defeat that guy and come back to Earth. We need you here."


	27. Battle Ready

A/N: So, sort of have unexpected cameos in this chapter. If you haven't seen the movie where they appear, you won't know the characters, but hopefully most of you recognize them and see how they fit into the storyline. Otherwise, hope you all enjoy the chapter, and as always, I appreciate all the reviews, faves and follows from the last posting.

* * *

Planet Frieza #209 had become a popular planet frequented by Frieza's soldiers as a resting post. _Being_ one of those painfully anonymous soldiers, Sorbet was currently sitting there in a crowded pub at a round table with his squad. On break. It would be nice to finally be noticed by Lord Frieza. It would be nice to get promoted. _Staff Officer_ , after all, was not a very impressive title. Yet, he had no way of earning the recognition he so badly wanted.

Before taking a swig from his mug, he sighed at the news on the wide screen for all the pub to see. As Sorbet thumped his empty mug on the table, the screen was still flashing images of another PTO squad found violently murdered-by Vegeta, no doubt. The bodies were found, after all, on the planet closest to the one where that notorious traitor to the organization was just recently reported to have been found. Lord Frieza had to be going out of his mind tracking down those two nuisances. This repetitive bad news didn't look good for Lord Frieza's image.

Shisami was sitting beside Sorbet with his squinty eyes narrowed at the screen. "That damn Saiyan."

Sorbet inclined his chin towards his much larger, red-skinned subordinate to study his expression. Shisami looked ready to kill. Sorbet had no doubt tha Shisami would be willing, if _he_ ordered it.

Tagoma hissed at Shisami in a lowered voice. "Can you really blame the Saiyan?"

The question was controversial, which Tagoma at least realized since he was being so careful to keep his voice low in the pub. Any Frieza loyalist, of which there were many on that planet, would fight against Planet Trade soldiers who even _hinted_ at siding with the Saiyans.

Sorbet, however, was willing to dismiss the offhand comment from his new man on the team. Tagoma just didn't know Lord Frieza yet. He had no way of understanding what he was challenging.

Tagoma narrowed his eyes at Shisami's and Guarana's disbelieving glares. "Wouldn't you try to take Lord Frieza's place if you could? If Lord Frieza can't control those two Saiyans, maybe it's time this empire was under new management."

Shisami shot to his feet with an indignant glare, his chair making a loud rattle against the hard floor as his long tail swished in one violent motion behind him.

Sorbet snapped his fingers. "Shisami, sit down." He turned his gaze on Tagoma. "And you, not another word of that. I welcomed you to this team because I see potential in you, Tagoma. Don't ruin your chances of advancement by saying something you'll later regret."

The tall, rather lanky-but powerful-new member of Sorbet's squad met his gaze, biting his lip in frustration just like Shisami was already doing. Ultimately, to Sorbet's relief, Tagoma decided to hold his tongue as he raised his mug to his lips and let his eye wander towards the door, where Guarana was already intently staring.

Sorbet blinked curiously as he noticed his unusually quiet comrade. "Guarana?"

Guarana remained fixated on the metal doorway which was surrounded by a lot of laughing, chattering soldiers on breaks. Then he startled and turned his wide-eyed gaze on Sorbet. "Sir?"

Sorbet's eyes drifted from Guarana's simian mug to focus towards the door. "What is it, Guarana?"

"Well," Guarana said, "I thought-I mean I think-"

Sorbet's eyes bulged when he recognized a face over there he never thought he'd see in a place like this. He rubbed his eyes to be sure it wasn't some sort of mirage. The clothing was odd for a Saiyan, but Sorbet knew the two of those faces like the back of his hand after so many months of pursuing and losing soldiers to them. When his eyes refocused and the mirage smiled and waved directly at him, he scoffed in astonishment. "That's Goku!"

"Shit." Shisami said as the others gasped and Shisami pressed his chair back to stand.

He froze when Sorbet placed an effectively stilling hand on his forearm and commanded, "Nobody move. Our orders are to report _only_ , remember?"

Guarana pressed a blunt finger against his scouter. "What the hell is he doing _here_?"

As the Saiyan turned his attention from the alarmed crew across the room to fastidiously guzzle down a table full of food without showing any concern for having been recognized by the team, Sorbet could only shake his head.

"This is Guarana of the Third Stellar Region," Guarana addressed someone by scouter, "reporting from Planet Frieza #209."

"Ah!" Sorbet balked as he watched Goku push aside his final empty plate and stand to dismiss himself from the table. "He's leaving!"

"We have an urgent situation here!" Guarana spoke into his scouter. "I need a direct connection to Lord Frieza!"

Sorbet was anxiously debating whether to spring from his chair and stop the Saiyan from reaching the exit when, too quickly, Goku slipped out the door past unsuspecting patrons.

"Hurry up already, Guarana!" Shisami shouted. "He's getting away!"

Guarana growled with frustration as the team all rose from their seats, eager to pursue the disappearing Saiyan.

"We should report to the ship!" Tagoma decided as they pushed past others and headed for the door.

"Yes!" Sorbet agreed. "We can reach Lord Frieza faster that way and keep following if he decides to leave the planet!"

Sorbet would do anything to be first to make this sighting report to Lord Frieza. He was just appreciative that no one else in the pub seemed to recognize the Saiyan. They must've all been too drunk to pay any attention to the very obvious idiot. Either way, Sorbet appreciated his luck. This was certainly the moment that would get him noticed and promoted!

Guarana perked up as they ran towards the ship's docking bay. "Lord Frieza!"

Sorbet tensed as he continued running and kept an observant eye on Guarana. Actually, no. He wanted to do the honors. Sorbet reached a hand to his own scouter and conferenced in to Guarana's conversation. "Lord Frieza, Staff Officer Sorbet speaking!"

 _"You have something for me?"_

As he reached the opening entrance to their ship, Sorbet winced at the irritation-laced tone of Lord Frieza's voice. "Y-y-yes, Lord F-Frieza!" He grimaced shamefully at the tremble in his voice. "We've spotted the Saiyan ex-commander on this planet."

Lord Frieza's tone became uplifted. _"Hm?"_

"Planet Frieza #209, my Lord!" Guarana added.

While Guarana and Sorbet raced into position to greet Frieza via the large com-screen in the hull of their ship, Tagoma and Shisami hurried to power on the ship and bring up the systems.

Sorbet nodded while keeping his gaze locked expectantly on the blank screen. "He was dressed in Yardrat fashion, eating at a pub when we spotted him." He smiled when Lord Frieza's imposing image flashed on the screen.

To Sorbet's surprise, Lord Frieza sneered. "So he's been on Yardrat all this time?"

Sorbet opened his mouth to reply, though he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to risk upsetting Lord Frieza, but he also didn't know what the ruler was expecting to hear. Fortunately, it turned out to be a rhetorical question.

 _"Where exactly is he now?"_

Sorbet looked to Shisami and Tagoma, who were using their scouters to track the Saiyan's energy. Before they could answer Frieza's question, a startling sensation struck Sorbet, followed by the alarming sudden appearance of a figure right in front of him. "Ah!"

"Hi!"

Sorbet recoiled from the outspoken, black-haired intruder who stood facing him with his back to the screen, while Frieza's eyes widened at the stunning appearance.

Guarana grimaced and pointed at him. "He...he's..."

"Did you tell Frieza I'm here yet?"

 _"Goku."_

The Saiyan turned to face the screen. "Frieza."

Frieza smiled mockingly. _"What is that_ ridiculous _outfit you're wearing?"_

"Oh, this?" Goku gestured to his ruffle-collared, asymmetric attire and chuckled, "just a little something I picked up on Yardrat."

 _"Like that technique?"_ Frieza's eyes narrowed. _"What was that?"_

Goku smirked. "Instant transmission. Pretty neat, right?"

 _"Yes, neat."_ Frieza drawled with a frown before smiling slyly at the Saiyan. _"Why don't you use it to come here? I'll show you an even better technique."_

While Sorbet raised a suspicious brow to his silent comrades, Goku bared a toothy smile at the wide screen on ship. "Can't. You're too far. I can't feel your energy from this distance."

 _"That's too bad."_ Frieza said. _"I was_ so _looking forward to seeing you again."_

Goku looked intimidating to Sorbet as he smirked at the screen and lowered his brows. "You will. I'll be waiting for you on this planet."

Frieza raised a suspicious brow. _"Really?"_

"I'm ready, Frieza."

Frieza laughed heartily. _"You might be stronger than the last time we met, but you're certainly not anymore intelligent!"_

Goku continued to smile as if he knew something the others didn't. Instinctively, Sorbet took a distancing step from the traitorous Saiyan. Without Frieza in their physical presence, Sorbet realized the Saiyan posed a real danger to him and his crew.

Frieza glared at Goku. _"You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy torturing you. For every day you've kept me chasing you and Vegeta on this ridiculous manhunt, I will make sure you suffer."_

"Aw, Frieza," Goku wagged a finger at the screen, "if you don't want me to disappear again, you better speak a little nicer to me."

 _"Nicer?!"_

"Sure. I said I'd wait, but now I don't know."

Frieza growled. _"You insolent monkey! You will be calling me_ Lord _Frieza again before you die! And when I-"_

When Goku raised two fingers to his forehead, Frieza's threats ceased. When Goku raised his brows expectantly, Lord Frieza growled furiously, but refrained from speaking again. When Lord Frieza met Sorbet's gaze with a meaningful twitch of his eyes, Sorbet's eyes widened in realization.

This was it. His moment to do something notable so Lord Frieza would never forget his name. It seemed that what Lord Frieza wanted more than anything at the moment was to threaten the Saiyan without him disappearing. Sorbet knew he was an intelligent being, but he didn't think his words could be as cutting as Lord Frieza's. Still, he would do his best.

Sorbet narrowed his eyes up towards the tall Saiyan. "Your dying race of monkeys could never measure up against the incredible power of Lord Frieza. Just give up now and he _may_ let you die quickly."

Goku met Sorbet's gaze with a long, blank stare before focusing on Frieza again. "You still wanna come here and kill me?"

Frieza forced a strained smile. _"Yes, please."_

Goku smiled back and nodded in agreement, before giving a pert wave to Sorbet and his crew. "Thanks for letting me borrow your ship! See ya!"

As the Saiyan placed two fingers to his forehead, this time disappearing from view as quickly as he'd appeared on the ship earlier, Sorbet gawked at the empty place where he just stood.

Tagoma gasped. "He's gone!"

"No," Shisami tapped his scouter, "he's just elsewhere on the planet."

On the video screen, Frieza pursed his lips with displeasure. _"He'd better stay put! I'm on my way there, Sordid."_

"S-Sorbet," Sorbet bowed his head, "Lord Frieza."

Frieza frowned indifferently. _"You stay there and make sure he doesn't leave that planet."_

When the video transmission cut abruptly, Sorbet scoffed in confusion. Lord Frieza had no intention of rewarding his crew for the find, it seemed. He didn't even seem to bother recalling Sorbet's name. What was worse, Sorbet realized that Planet Frieza #209 had just been deemed the location of perhaps the most massive battle the universe would ever see. And his crew was ordered to wait there. One thing was for certain-the second Lord Frieza arrived, Sorbet and his crew would be launching from that planet as fast as possible.

* * *

Piccolo raised his chin to the sky, scrutinizing the energies arriving at Earth's atmosphere. Beside him, Kami and Mr. Popo stood silent, while Dodoria's scouter beeped with the alien's repetitive clicks of the buttons on the stupid device.

"Hmph," Dodoria grumbled, "there are a lot of them this time."

A smiled tugged at Piccolo's lip. "Good."

Kami and Mr. Popo both balked, while Piccolo could feel the approaching presences of Gohan, Yamcha and Tien. He frowned. Maybe this wouldn't be as good as he hoped.

"Good?" Mr. Popo repeated dubiously.

"What's _good_ about another invasion, Piccolo?" Kami scolded. "They might be able to take the Earth this time if they came prepared."

Piccolo scoffed. "I doubt it." He met Dodoria's scowling gaze before looking at Kami. "The first two invasions were jokes. They must not have even realized there was still any life on this planet. Now that they know, sure this invasion has stronger forces, but they're _still_ underestimating us."

"And that disappoints you, does it?" Dodoria teased.

"Of course it does."

Dodoria glowered at Piccolo, while Piccolo continued to ignore him and fume towards the sky where a large ship was visibly appearing through the heavy cover of clouds. Sure, there were many energies he could sense in that ship-maybe hundreds. But they were all weak. And given that Earth's other warriors had just landed on the Lookout as well, as Piccolo could sense and hear behind him, this would be too easy. The people of Earth didn't even need Goku to protect them anymore, if this was the best their enemies could do. The only hope for a real battle would be if this Frieza ever showed up.

"Piccolo!" Gohan's voice called from behind.

Piccolo turned to smile at the boy who truly and openly cared about him, unlike anyone Piccolo ever met before. He hated to show any weakness towards the boy to the others, but he couldn't hide the slight smile caused by the joyful sight of that cheerful, amazingly skilled little fighter smiling up at him.

"They came back with more!" Yamcha warned as he ran alongside Gohan with his eyes fixed on the massive obstruction in the sky. "Think we can handle them this time?"

Piccolo scoffed and turned his back to the others. He raised his power slightly in preparation, but only slightly. He just wanted to get this over with and get back to his training-to prepare for more important matters.

"Can't be too difficult." Tien said. "Our training really has been showing, if those last two invasions are any indication."

Piccolo snorted derisively, loud enough for the others to hear him. As if fighting these so-called warriors from space again and again wasn't bad enough, in addition to all of it, he had to hear Goku's friends discussing the matter as if it were actually something to be proud of.

"What's your _problem_ , Piccolo?" Tien's voice was laced with irritation, which Piccolo found slightly amusing.

But he ignored the question in favor of eyeing the ship hovering miles away in the air, which was releasing dozens of flying, scouter-adorned aliens ready to fight. They were in armor as usual, but by the numbers and power levels, they were certainly more prepared this time.

Piccolo recalled the first ship, which arrived a few months ago with aliens who had no idea there was anyone on Earth to defend the planet, and didn't even know how to fight. Piccolo remembered Dodoria killing them all solely to avoid them communicating to any others about their findings. Piccolo wouldn't have wasted his time with _them_. The second ship that arrived a month after that likely came because they never heard word from the first mission to Earth that disappeared. They also were weak and not worth Piccolo's consideration.

There _was_ one attack from that second ship though, and when they shot Yamcha through the chest, all it took was a ki blast from Tien to kill all of them and destroy their ship. Piccolo would've let Goku's friend die-the idiot deserved it after letting his guard down and being shot by weaklings with guns-but Gohan was quick to retrieve senzu beans from Korin's tower for Yamcha at Tien's urgent behest. So, aside from that one close call, these invasions had turned out to be a waste of time and a disappointing application of all their training and new techniques. _This_ was what had Piccolo in a mood, even with the visible promise of a new battle.

The screams and shouts from battle-ready aliens in the distance filled Piccolo's sensitive ears. There were aliens of all shapes, sizes and colors flying around in matching uniforms-some had guns, some held no weapons, and some looked more capable than others. They all looked like they were going to get their asses kicked.

Yamcha came up beside Piccolo, assuming a fighting stance and smirking at the approaching aliens. "Ready?"

Piccolo raised a brow at him before meeting Dodoria's gaze and frowning impassively. When he looked down to see Gohan blinking up at him, he couldn't help but smile at the kid, just before raising his palm towards the energy he felt rapidly approaching and shooting a ki blast without bothering to look and see who he was shooting.

As Gohan's eyes widened, looking either impressed or shocked by Piccolo's action, Piccolo let out a low chuckle and stepped aside to dodge another incoming attack from a different alien. Gohan quickly recovered from his shock and rolled to the side just before a blast hit the Lookout in the exact spot Gohan had been standing.

As the fighting continued, Piccolo found it as simple as he expected it to be. He guessed he couldn't complain about the practice, or getting a decent workout at least, as he dodged, punched, kicked and threw opponent after opponent. After a while, he actually began to enjoy it. With the lack of challenge, he was able to watch Gohan's fighting. The boy's development clearly showed, as Gohan thwarted attack after attack. He looked more like a warrior than ever before as he glared and grit his teeth, punching and kicking opponents who far outclassed him in size. When Gohan finally did get knocked down by one kick he failed to dodge, Piccolo grimaced momentarily.

Grasping his latest enemy by the shoulders, Piccolo threw him overhead, off the edge of the Lookout, so he could turn and give his full attention to Gohan. To his surprise, though, the boy was already back on his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth and narrowing his eyes at his large, more-powerful-than-most opponent with determination. It almost gave Piccolo a chill, seeing Gohan like that, with his tail swaying slowly behind him, looking like such a warrior.

He looked just like a young Goku in that instant, to the point that it took everything Piccolo had to resist the urge to feel hate for the child as images flashed across his vision of his fallen father and the remembrance of what Goku took from Piccolo when he killed him. But this was not Goku; it was Gohan. He was a much different child, even if he _was_ half-Saiyan, and even if he _was_ Goku's blood.

When Gohan raised both hands to his forehead, his tail stiffening behind him as he clenched his jaw and formed a glowing ball of ki in his open palms, Piccolo huffed. He was impressed when Gohan extended his hands, releasing the beam of ki with a kiai to shoot the attacker with a new attack Piccolo had never seen before. The alien flew into the air and then fell flat on his face, effectively knocked unconscious by the blast. Piccolo turned around with a wide smile and resumed his fighting.

Already, Piccolo could see the pile of bodies Dodoria was forming, bigger than his, to his chagrin. He'd have to stop getting distracted and focus on taking out more of these aliens. Tien and Yamcha were even maneuvering well against the masses of aliens that still continued to spill from the ship, as if the invaders had an endless supply of warriors. But that was fine with Piccolo. They could bring it on.

Piccolo was certain that there would be another invasion to follow. Someone cowering inside that spaceship had to have reported the resistance they found during the lengthy fight that occurred at Earth's Lookout. Kami certainly didn't look pleased with the chosen location, as his residence was being blown to pieces and he and Mr. Popo were forced to stand aside.

Piccolo chuckled to himself as he barely dodged another punch and wrapped an arm around his opponent's attacking arm, twisting it until it snapped. Piccolo had intentionally chosen this location as their battleground in a way to spite Kami. He still detested the old man. Piccolo knew that Kami would have no right to complain after this battle. They were defending the Earth from invaders, something Kami was no longer capable of doing on his own.

When the fight would end, Piccolo had no doubt that Earth would be safe, at least until the next invasion, which was bound to be more challenging after this. Maybe even Frieza himself would come to Earth. That prospect had Piccolo smiling to himself through the rest of the fight, even as the invaders dwindled off and he knew he'd have to return to a waiting period again. Eventually, someone worthy of his attention would arrive on Earth. Either Goku would return and show them everything he'd learned in space, or Frieza would come himself, giving Piccolo and the others of Earth a real battle. Piccolo knew he and the rest of Earth's warriors had to be better prepared for that possibility. And prepared, he would be.

* * *

The ground was littered with bodies of soldiers. The planet had been quite suitable for training with its intense gravity and lack of civilization, until _they_ showed up. They always did, though. Stupid, sniveling henchmen. Was there not a single race in the universe aside from the mighty Saiyans who could think for themselves and stand up against the _great_ Lord Frieza?

Oh well. Time to leave for another planet, Vegeta supposed. After all, more training could only benefit him before facing Frieza. He wasn't too scared to fight the tyrant, he told himself. He would face Frieza and defeat him. But…he wasn't ready yet. Truth be told, Vegeta wasn't sure if he'd ever be ready to fight one on one against that monster. He still hadn't uncovered the secret of becoming a Super Saiyan, which he was certain would be the key to defeating Frieza. Without that, he wasn't sure if it was possible. All his life, Vegeta had witnessed what Frieza could do. How terrifying he could be. No one with any intelligence would knowingly fight against _that_ when he still had other options, unless he had some sort of trump card up his sleeve.

Vegeta's footsteps made an audible crunch as his boots stomped over the rubble and blown away pieces of rock covering the ground. It was time for him to retreat to a new training ground. The rubble was complemented by smoke-filled air, which still loomed from the destruction of the earlier massacre. Vegeta's attack on the team of Frieza's soldiers had made quite the visual impact on the planet. At least he knew it was now one less planet Frieza could sell for profit.

Making his way towards his space pod, Vegeta stepped carefully over one body, then continued his approach until he gasped at an unexpected sensation. Someone was still alive. He could sense him. He turned around and narrowed his eyes at the scene, frowning when he spotted the movement of one soldier on his hands and knees. Vegeta crossed his arms and slowly stalked towards the battered and bloodied being, before stomping a foot on the soldier's back to make him collapse to the ground again. "Still alive?"

"P-please!"

"Please what? Finish you?"

"Spare me, Prince Vegeta! Please! I beg you!"

"Oh?" Vegeta raised his brows in surprise and pressed his weight heavily on top of the soldier. "It's 'Prince Vegeta' now, _is it_? No more 'monkey', 'fool'...'traitor'?"

"N-no! Please forgive me and my squad, Pr-"

Vegeta laughed loudly over his victim's lousy begging. "Your squad can't be forgiven. They're dead. Just like you'll be."

"Wait!" The reptilian alien screamed and strained his neck to look up and meet Vegeta's gaze. "If you spare me, I have some information I can share with you."

Vegeta frowned as he lifted his brows in surprise, while lifting his boot to free the soldier. "Information?"

The soldier nodded fervently. "Yes, I'll tell you, if you promise to spare me."

Vegeta relaxed his posture and took a step back. "Out with it, then."

The alien soldier gaped and blinked, before shaking his head and speaking in a rush. "Lord Frieza has found your friend."

Vegeta scoffed and knit his brows. "My _friend_?"

"The other Saiyan. Goku."

"Kakarot?" Vegeta's eyes bulged as his fists clenched by his sides. "They're fighting already?!"

"No." The alien shook his head and relaxed as he sat upright. "Lord Frieza is on his way to Planet Frieza #209, where Goku is. We all have orders to carry out our assignments, find _you_ and steer clear of that planet for the time being."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes pensively. "Planet Frieza #209."

Vegeta forgot all about the survivor as he hastily ran for his ship, hopping in quickly and punching the buttons to program his new destination for Planet Frieza #209. That alien was one lucky bastard. Vegeta had every intention of killing him anyways after he delivered his news, but now the scum wasn't worth his time.

He had to get to that planet. Kakarot couldn't start that battle without him! This was _his_ fight more than anyone's. Kakarot was so damn selfish. He already sought and claimed his revenge for his planet Earth's destruction against Raditz, and had no business being the first to approach Frieza. Vegeta still needed to find vengeance against Frieza for Planet Vegeta, the planet only the prince of all Saiyans could rightfully avenge.

He growled and felt his power rising at the prospects of this monumental battle, the one he was being forced into sooner than expected now. But he would be there, and he had to leave fast if he was going to get to that planet before Kakarot and Frieza started exchanging punches. According to his ship's computer, his journey to the planet would only take a week. Vegeta had no way of knowing how long Frieza's journey would be. Vegeta could only get there as fast as possible, and hope Kakarot couldn't defeat Frieza before his arrival. When his pod launched into the atmosphere, Vegeta trembled all over with anticipation of battle, and fear of the unknown outcome that was bound to happen, now that the moment had come when he was finally going to defy Frieza face to face. Super Saiyan or not, he would find a way to make Frieza pay.


	28. The Battle Begins

He stared impassively out his large window as the planet in view expanded to fill the entire panoramic. They had arrived, finally. A hateful scowl crossed his face as his thoughts turned to the Saiyan waiting for him on that planet. The stupid monkey had more than earned what was coming to him.

"Lord Frieza, we are landing now. Please brace yourself."

Frieza didn't bother to move. 'Bracing himself' would be a most unnecessary action. The ship could explode for all he cared, and he wouldn't have the slightest harm coming to him. Even in this upcoming battle with the Saiyan, he knew there was no chance of damage being inflicted on himself.

Goku didn't realize how impossible his chances were, though. Frieza decided that it couldn't hurt to string his clueless old pupil along for a little while before squashing him. There was no time limit, after all. And in this situation, he was holding a few trump cards. At least the fun of toying with Goku before killing him would make the nuisance of all of this worth Freiza's while.

Planet Frieza #209's flat landform and architectural structures became recognizable through the ship's window as they approached the planet's landing pad. This was good. Finally, he would destroy Goku, which was the first item on his list. Then, he would track down that horrible Vegeta and do the same to him. After that, even _after_ Goku's death, Frieza could inflict further punishment on the Saiyan who should have been on his side all along, by fulfilling a promise Frieza would make to him today.

Frieza chuckled to himself while vibrations rumbled below his feet, indicating that the ship had landed. Frieza's chuckles evolved into all-out laughter, causing the few soldiers surrounding him to gawk with stupid, clueless looks on their faces. He ceased laughing and turned a glare on the nearest one, ready to get serious now that he knew he would step foot on the same planet as Goku after nearly a year of hunting after those obstinate Saiyans.

"Lord Frieza," the soldier spoke nervously under Frieza's heated glare, "would you like the men on the front lines of this attack before you personally engage the Saiyan in battle?"

Frieza let out a tight-lipped chuckle at the visible trembling exhibited by his men. The offer they made was most definitely not one they wanted to fulfill. They knew they'd be dead if they countered the warrior who _Lord Frieza_ intended to fight.

Frieza was almost tempted to send them out there, just to watch Goku kill them all, but he knew he wanted to get to it himself. He had waited much too long for this. Now that Goku was just within his grasp, his excitement was building. It had been so long since he'd had the chance to truly strike fear in someone, to take the time to torment them, both physically and psychologically. A final laugh escaped Frieza's lips before he waved a dismissive hand at the soldier.

The soldier responded with a hopeful, hesitant smile. "N-no?"

Frieza lifted his chin and turned tail, heading on foot towards the sliding open door of his massive chamber. That question didn't justify an answer, and he certainly didn't feel the need to explain himself to his men. What he did need was to find Goku. As he treaded down the hall, towards the exit of the ship, Frieza fantasized about all the ways he could make Goku witness the terror of his power. This was going to be the best reunion he'd had in a long time.

Frieza took a deep breath of the fresh air of his planet when he stepped off his ship. This planet was one of many he owned, yet rarely visited. Like all his planets, this one was tailored to his liking, with architecture in the style of his home planet and botanical life that gave the planet that familiar smell of home. It was intended for the soldiers' use, but Frieza also approve of its qualities. His lip twitched into a slight smile of satisfaction with the reminder of his control, before rapid beeping started in his ear and symbols flashed in the red lens of his scouter.

Frieza grunted, realizing it had to be Goku approaching, when a massive explosion sounded right behind him. He turned and lunged away from his ship, where debris was flying and flames were exploding off the hull of the vessel. Screams erupted from inside as an aftershock of the massive explosion completely decimated what remained of Frieza's personal ship, which imploded upon itself with a blinding flash against the backdrop of the planet's dark blue sky.

Frieza growled furiously as he effortlessly batted away a piece of debris that flew at him from the explosion. His ship and his men were all gone in an instant. The scouter finally registered a power level for the source of the destruction. Frieza snapped his head in that direction, sighting a vague figure hovering behind the smoke of the fires with a limb extended towards the remains of his annihilated ship. When the smoke cleared to begin revealing the face of his ship's attacker, Frieza sneered at him. This was not at all how he wanted this to begin!

"Sorry about the ship. But I had to make sure it would be just you and me, Frieza."

Frieza clenched his fists while his veins felt like they were nearly going to burst from all the anger he was feeling. He was supposed to be making Goku miserable, not the other way around!

Frieza bared his teeth at the Saiyan. "You'll pay for that, Monkey! I hate you!"

Goku cocked his head and slowly descended towards the ground as his hand fell by his side. "Do you?"

"I don't like you at all anymore!"

Goku shrugged. "It's not the first time I've heard that. Still, if you weren't so horrible, I might actually be hurt."

"Oh," Frieza chuckled, "you _will_ be hurt. Trust me."

"What's your problem, anyways?" Goku asked as he landed a few feet away, while Frieza balked at his audacity. "What do you have against Saiyans? From what Vegeta and Nappa had to say, all they ever did was work really hard for you."

Frieza scoffed. "You don't know anything at all."

Goku raised his brows with a cocky smile as he dashed forward instantaneously, to stand face to face with Frieza. Frieza bit back a growl as he raised his gaze to meet Goku's condescending look. He could see the game this Saiyan was playing, and no one would be given the satisfaction of playing games to upset Frieza, especially not a barbaric monkey.

"The blood of the Saiyans must be completely cut off." Frieza said in a cool, controlled tone. "Not because I feel threatened by ridiculous legends like the Super Saiyan, history's greatest warrior, but because I do not feel _well_ with you two still around."

"I make you feel unwell? Is that it? Or maybe you _are_ concerned." Goku crossed his arms and raised a brow suggestively. "How do you know you're not facing a Super Saiyan right now?" His brows lowered into an intense glower. "You make me sick, too. When I look at you, I can see is the faces of all the people I've seen you kill, and the monster you tried to make me into."

Frieza took a step back and smiled up at Goku. "Ah, yes. You resent me now, do you? Probably not as much as Vegeta does."

Goku chuckled wryly. "I don't think I could ever resent anyone as much as Vegeta does."

Frieza crossed his arms and allowed his eyes to close momentarily. "He does carry quite the chip on his shoulder. I wonder. Will that resentment make killing _him_ more rewarding than killing _you_?"

Goku shot that cocky grin at Frieza again. "Too bad you're never going to get past me to find out."

Frieza turned his nose up at Goku, scowling as he prepared to tell the Saiyan how stupid and ignorant he was being if he really believed that, when Goku kept talking.

"I really hated Raditz when I killed him, but you know what?" Goku scowled at Frieza. "I think I hate you even more. You shouldn't be the strongest being in the universe. It's about time a Super Saiyan came around to put you in your place. You and your Planet Trade are the reason Raditz did what he did. You are the real reason everyone on Earth died, and the reason I've killed so many people. You..."

As Goku continued, Frieza tuned him out, unable to bear hearing him carry on about why Frieza was so hated. Frieza _enjoyed_ striking fear in people, especially warriors who thought too highly of themselves. Frankly, all of this talk was testing Frieza's patience, as his thoughts were drawn by Goku's talk to all the reasons _he_ hated the Saiyans.

It was really the principle of it all, why he needed their race obliterated. With Goku and Vegeta growing stronger so quickly, even if they _were_ being loyal servants, allowing them to stay around was a luxury Frieza could no longer afford. When Goku started whining about Frieza's hobbies of torment and planetary destruction, it was the last straw for Frieza.

In a flash of movement, Frieza raised a finger at Goku. The Saiyan's eyes went wide as Frieza shot a beam of red from his fingertip, aiming for Goku's heart. When the beam appeared as if it was going to go right through Goku's chest, yet the Saiyan remained standing and unscathed, Frieza contorted his brows in incredulity. What he had just witnessed wasn't possible. Goku couldn't have been fast enough to dodge that at such close range!

Goku glared. "Hey! What was _that_?" He clenched his fists. "We never said to start fighting!"

Frieza reined in his anger and coolly pursed his lips. "It was the only way to shut you up. I know when a Saiyan starts ranting, your lot tends to go on and on and on."

"Well, if _you're_ done talking," Goku smirked, "then that's fine with me. I'm ready to fight!"

As he crossed his arms, peering into Goku's defiant eyes, Frieza's shoulders shook with laughter. The younger fighter was poised for defense, probably bracing himself for another surprise attack from Frieza. Frieza was prepared to give it to him, though Goku's quick evasion of the last attack had him slightly wary in this base form.

Frieza studied Goku carefully, debating just how capable the Saiyan had become since their last encounter. That damn Saiyan tenacity and rapid growth in strength could make them so unpredictable, especially Goku. Frieza could already tell that he would have to improve his odds at some point. The question was, how far would he let the game go, and to what extent would he need to increase his power? Frieza would decide soon enough.

* * *

Goku grit his teeth as he studied Frieza, waiting for him to make a move. There was a reason no one ever challenged Frieza. Goku was confident, but he knew Frieza was powerful, cruel and unpredictable, and nowhere near showing his full power. Goku had no way yet of gauging how far that power could go, but he would do his best with the training he did over the past months in space.

With a grunt of determination, he raised a strong, ready hand in front of his face and clasped his other fist by his side, putting all his concentration on Frieza's energy. When he felt a sudden fluctuation of that energy, he ran in a blur to disappear from the spot where he stood.

Frieza's fist flew into that spot with a head-on assault, while Goku counterattacked from behind, kicking Frieza in the back of the head.

When Goku landed on the hard substance of what remained of Planet Frieza #209's landing pad, Frieza turned around, rubbing his head. "Hmph! Faster than I expected."

Goku frowned. "It's going to take a lot more than that to fight _me_. Why don't you show me your true power, Frieza?"

"I shouldn't need to transform to kill _you_."

Goku gasped. So it _was_ a transformation that increased Frieza's power. Goku realized he could defeat Frieza now, before he'd have a chance to transform...but how would that be a true win, when Frieza still had more power to challenge him with? No, Goku needed Frieza to transform, no matter how powerful that made him. Goku had to beat Frieza when he was at his best. He realized, though, that he would have to prove to Frieza the necessity of that transformation, because Frieza was obviously resistant.

"Oh, no?" Goku countered. "You'll see that you're gonna need to transform against me!"

Goku lunged for Frieza, raising his fist to clash against Frieza's, which was already powerfully extended in response to the attack. The collision of force boomed as their combined powers exploded around them, but Goku pressed on, gritting his teeth as he ducked down and swept a foot under Frieza. The tyrant lost his footing, flying into the air before he somersaulted backwards, landing on his feet and lunging back at Goku.

When Frieza disappeared from view, Goku's eyes went wide. He closed them, focusing on Frieza's energy, which only took a second before Goku realized Frieza was right behind him. He ducked just in time to avoid a punch, then turned around to land an uppercut in Frieza's chin.

Frieza flew back from the hit, letting out a scream before his feet skidded across the ground and he glared at Goku. Goku didn't wait. He launched at Frieza again, this time attacking the tyrant with a flurry of hits, most of which he landed while Frieza fought determinedly to block his rapid attacks. When Goku landed one punch particularly hard in Frieza's gut, the tyrant doubled over.

Goku leapt back as Frieza's eyes bulged from the pain while he fought to recover from the blow. Goku felt a smile rise to his face. It was only a matter of time now. Yet, when Frieza caught his breath and peered up at Goku from his forward-bent position, Goku realized Frieza wasn't feeling done-in yet. The loathsome look in his eyes told Goku that he intended to keep fighting at this level, and that was something Goku wouldn't have, not until after Frieza transformed.

Goku glared as he gathered energy for a large ki blast in his palm and yelled, "Transform, Frieza!"

The large, white ball of ki flew from his open palm as he thrust it forward, while Frieza was looking up and gasping in shock as it closed in on him. Goku felt a smile rise to his face as he hovered in the distance and watched the blinding explosion, waiting for the dust to settle. Surely, Frieza would be prepared to fight for real after that. Just to make sure, though, Goku pulled both elbows in and launched a rapid fire attack of ki blasts at the decimated launch pad, making sure that Frieza would feel this well enough to decide a transformation was necessary.

Goku panted as he recovered his stamina from the exertion of so many blasts. Fortunately, he still had plenty more energy in store. He was reserving that for the _real_ fight, where he knew he would need it. He only hoped Frieza would transform sooner rather than later, so he didn't drain anymore energy now than he had to. When the dust finally settled, Frieza was standing hunched over in the midst of a crater, glaring at Goku.

Goku chuckled. "Someone looks angry."

"Ahhh!" Frieza screamed as he extended both tightly clenched fists above his head. "Fine! You want to see my full power?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah!"

He knew he would be in danger after this, but Goku was too excited to worry about that. His heart thudded in his chest as he anxiously awaited this transformation, the opportunity to be the first to see Frieza's true power.

Frieza smirked. "I could easily kill you with a lesser transformation, but before you die, I will have you witness the terror of an ultimate power, even more frightening than death!" Frieza let out a loud chuckle. "I'm doing you a great service by going straight to my final form!"

Goku clenched his fists by his sides as Frieza's aura expanded around him. Goku bit his bottom lip, waiting to see. Frieza certainly _was_ doing him a great service. Having the honor of being the first to fight the strongest warrior in the universe at his best was no small feat.

Frieza yelled as his aura exploded around him, ascending with a purple beam of light into the planet's dark blue sky. Goku gasped in awe at the marvelous display of color and light, before raising his forearm to shield his eyes as the light intensified, along with a wave of energy that blew past him, bending the few trees in the area with its force. Goku clenched his teeth and planted his feet into the ground, skidding back a few feet as the energy from Frieza's transformation intensified. But finally, the explosion and blast of light ceased after one last, blinding, instantaneous flash filled the air.

Goku blinked as he hesitantly lowered his arm to peer at Frieza. The alien was enveloped in an aura of white, which was slowly fading as the new appearance of the tyrant came into view. Goku squinted through the light and settling dust to perceive Frieza's new appearance. To his surprise, the tyrant looked more compact and less formidable than his previous appearance. Yet, that greatly contrasted with the unnaturally massive level of power Goku sensed from him now. Despite the sleeker changes in the appearance of Frieza's armor and coloring, his loathsome eyes and dark, smirking lips appeared exactly the same. Goku glared as he stared at those eyes, which were looking mockingly back at him.

Frieza crossed his arms behind his back and raised his chin. "So, having any regrets yet?"

Goku forced himself to focus on his breathing and relax. Already, Goku could feel his nerves working against him. He scowled and shook his head. Frieza still thought this was all a joke. He was overconfident as he stood there, completely open for attack, smiling as if Goku were nothing more than a mere fly threatening him. If there was anything worse than death that could ruin this fight for Goku, it would be Frieza's dismissive attitude.

Goku bared his teeth. "The only regret I have is that you're still not taking this seriously!" He clenched his fists threateningly. "Be ready, Frieza!"

Frieza chuckled. "There's no need for that. I could beat you with my hands behind my back." Frieza sighed. "It has been so long since I've shown my final transformation. I've never actually fought anyone in this form. No one is strong enough to warrant it, you see. Not even _you_ , Goku."

Frieza chuckled as Goku growled at his statement. Frieza was only stirring Goku's anger, though Goku knew better than to let his emotions control him in battle.

"I don't care how powerful you think you've become." Frieza said. "Soon, you'll realize how much you've overestimated yourself, like so many other Saiyans before you. King Vegeta," Freiza shrugged, "Prince Vegeta, that low class soldier, Bardock, who I'm fairly certain was your father."

Goku's eyes widened momentarily at the surprising news that Frieza ever knew his father, but he quickly shook that off. He had spent much too long living on Earth to ever really care about knowing more about his origins. He especially did not care now, not in the midst of a battle.

"Once I'm satisfied that you've experienced a terror even greater than that of Hell's," Frieza continued, "I will send you to join the rest of your pathetic, deceased race. Then when Vegeta dies by my hand, I will be rid of you monkeys once and for all."

"Stop talking and fight me!"

Frieza clenched his jaw and growled. Apparently, that set him off. Goku smirked for only an instant at the satisfaction of having pushed Frieza's buttons, before Frieza disappeared from sight and then reappeared right in front of him. Before Goku could react, Frieza's tail whipped out from behind, whacking Goku across the side and throwing his entire body careening into a nearby cement wall of a crumbling building.

Goku sprung from the crater his body had created in the wall, moving away to disappear from Frieza's view and launch his own attack. Just after his disappearance, a barrage of Frieza's red, laser-sharp beams of ki assaulted the wall, causing it to crumble and completely collapse from Frieza's attacks. From the sky, Goku launched his own similar barrage of ki attacks, aimed straight for an unsuspecting Frieza.

Frieza's head shot in Goku's direction just before the blasts made contact. After the visual of Frieza was lost behind a cloud of explosions and dust, Frieza quickly reappeared behind Goku, growling as he punched for Goku's head and landed his fist in the side of Goku's cheek. Goku tumbled away through the air, before stopping himself abruptly and meeting Frieza's gaze with a mocking chuckle of his own.

Smirking at Frieza, Goku wiped the back of his hand against his reddened cheek. "I thought you were going to beat me with your hands behind your back."

Frieza pursed his lips. "That was just a passing comment. If you really believed I wasn't going to use my hands, you're far too naïve."

"Still," Goku said, "Is this seriously all you've got?"

Frieza's eyes widened before he growled and clenched a fist in front of his face. "Insolent monkey! How dare you mock me!"

Frieza raised his hand in the air and gathered a mass of power sparking with crackling energy above his head. Goku's eyes widened as he witnessed the forming attack, one he hadn't seen since his brutal days of training under Frieza. He always ended up in the tank after Frieza would pull out that technique, but this was a much different situation now. Goku braced himself. He would have to dodge the attack, or take it head-on. He didn't know if he could handle that much power, though.

When the ball of ki enlarged above Frieza to reach completion, Frieza growled and heaved it forward. "Now you'll see that you're _no_ Super Saiyan!"

As the sparking mass of energy flew towards Goku and Frieza laughed menacingly from the other side of it, Goku glared at it with determination. He decided to counter it. Spreading his legs in a wider stance, Goku wrapped both hands towards one hip, keeping his eyes on the imposing energy as a spark of ki lit within his rounded palms. "Ka…me…"

The mass of energy from Frieza seemed to grow, causing Goku's eyes to widen as he continued, "ha…me…"

Frieza chuckled. "This is the end, Goku!"

Goku's eyes narrowed as he exerted all his force and extended his hands towards Freiza's blast, "…Ha!"

An explosion of light and sound echoed across the globe as a massive collision of power occurred. Goku's Kamehameha beam pushed against Frieza's blast, ballooning at the point of contact, which gradually began making its way closer to Frieza. Frieza gasped and his eyes widened in recognition of what was happening. Goku yelled as he pushed more power into his blast, pressing it further in Frieza's direction. Frieza shook his head fervently, before gritting his teeth and pressing his palms forward with his own resistance.

"Frieza!" Goku yelled as he struggled against Frieza's power, yet he could tell that Frieza was struggling as well. One more push would do it.

"Nooo!" Frieza yelled as the Kamehameha surged again with power, finally absorbing Frieza's blast and pushing past to clash with Frieza.

Goku took a deep breath as he watched the explosion, his hands still braced in position from the Kamehameha. He lowered his hands by his sides as he descended swiftly to land, waiting to see the results of his successful blast.

Frieza was certainly the most powerful opponent he'd fought…but wait. Goku grunted in realization when he noted the ki nearby, which seemed unphased by that blast. But there was no way! No way that Frieza could be unscathed after taking his Kamehameha head-on! Yet, if what he was sensing was hard to believe, what his eyes saw when the dust cleared confirmed it. Frieza was smiling without even a scratch on him.

Frieza chuckled and raised a hand softly to his lips. "My, my. That was quite a powerful blast. Don't tell me you expected that to kill me, though."

"Ah...ah!" Goku shook his head and took a stumbling step back, stunned at Frieza's composure.

"You did?" Frieza laughed. "You _are_ impudent. I thought I trained you better than that, Goku. Know your enemy. _This_ one won't be defeated."

"Y-you…" Goku trailed off, shaking his head as his brows furrowed in bewilderment.

"I do admit, I had to raise my power slightly to avoid taking damage from that attack." Frieza sighed and folded his arms behind his back again. "But still, you should know I'm not even using a _third_ of my power." As Goku's eyes widened in horror-stricken realization, Frieza smiled. "So, how should I finally placate my anger over your betrayal? Rip out your tongue? Break your leg? Slit your throat?"

Goku grimaced in realization. He hadn't powered up fully yet either, but if Frieza wasn't bluffing about how much more power he possessed, this fight was lost. Goku could finally understand why Vegeta and the others never defied Frieza's orders before. Frieza was a monster. If he could increase his strength that much more, Goku doubted he could stand a chance against Frieza. Still, he wouldn't give up this fight. There had to be a way to beat Frieza.

* * *

As the Saiyan braced himself for battle, across the Planet Trade Organization and Otherworld, word was spreading of the monumental fight that was just beginning. Everyone was on edge, watching if they could, and waiting for the results. The outcome of this battle between the merciless ruler of the universe and his powerful prodigy would not only affect the two beings involved, but the entire universe.

* * *

A/N: Hopefully, you can visualize this fight if you're reading through it, though I understand if you're scanning over the fight scenes. I have to admit that _I_ often do when reading fanfiction. It's never the same as seeing and hearing the fight, though writing conveys emotions and thinking so much better. This update came out pretty quickly, but I'll let you all know now that I will be on vacation for a while, so the next chapter will be more of a wait after this one. Sorry to leave you all in suspense, but I promise when I get back I'll be working right away on the next chapter!


	29. Appearance

Goku's body was sent flying through a tall building, then through another, and another, until he was finally embedded firmly in a fourth building from the massive power behind Frieza's hit. When the Saiyan grimaced and thrust his body from the building, preparing for another attack, Frieza was already by his side and taking him off guard. He hit Goku with an energy beam in the chest which sent the Saiyan falling to the ground.

* * *

"No!" The yell disrupted the cooperative training occurring on the tiny planet as the warriors turned to face the tense god whose back was turned towards them.

"King Kai?" Krillin backed away from Chiaotzu and stepped towards the serious man with a look of concern.

"Krillin," King Kai replied without turning around, "which of those Saiyans opposing Frieza did you say was your friend?"

Krillin blinked. "G-Goku..."

King Kai groaned wearily. "I'm sorry, Krillin. But this doesn't look good."

Master Roshi stepped out of King Kai's tiny home, donning the same halo over his head as the two small training warriors. When he spied the serious looks on everyone's faces, he became just as serious. "What's going on?"

"Your Saiyan friend, Goku is fighting Frieza as we speak."

"Really? Goku..." Master Roshi smiled, shook his head and cackled. "He couldn't wait, could he? How's he doing?"

"Not good."

Roshi's smile fell. "What?"

Krillin shook his head in denial. "That's impossible. Goku wouldn't fail against a guy as terrible as Frieza! Not when he spent so much time training for this fight!"

"Krillin's right!" Chiaotzu said, flying forward.

"You're all wrong!" King Kai scolded. "And if you don't believe me, see for yourselves."

When King Kai waved a hand to indicate his shoulder, the others exchanged curious glances. Krillin and Master Roshi grasped onto King Kai, while Chiaotzu looked questioningly at a confused Bubbles and Gregory.

"I don't know your friend," King Kai sighed, "but I could've told him this would be the outcome if he planned on fighting Frieza. Now the whole universe is going to suffer for his mistake."

Krillin gasped. "What do you mean?"

"You think someone like Frieza will just carry on peacefully after being opposed by his greatest soldier? No! He's going to punish _everyone_ for this, starting with the last remaining Saiyan, and then the Earth!"

Master Roshi balked. "E-Earth?!"

"You said the Saiyan grew up here, didn't you?"

"Y-yes, he did."

King Kai lowered his head, shaking it miserably. "Frieza's specialty is destroying planets. He'll want to rid the universe of the one that raised his greatest opponent. I'm sorry my territory of the universe will be affected by this. I'd always hoped he and the Saiyans would stay far away from this part of the universe."

Krillin and Master Roshi frowned in realization, their gazes lowering to the ground, until King Kai's antennae perked up. When King Kai looked alerted by the change, a vision flashed through all their minds.

* * *

Goku was up on his feet again, staring down Frieza with determination. He was obviously winded, while the powerful alien he faced looked back at him with calm, cool, murderous intent.

"Goku," Frieza said, "don't tell me the great _Super Saiyan_ is finished already."

Goku growled defiantly and glared at Frieza, but he was anxious, expecting yet another attack he'd be unable to counter. Frieza lunged for Goku and disappeared, then reappeared right in front of Goku just as his fist was planting itself in Goku's gut.

Goku's eyes went wide as he doubled over and coughed, blood spewing from his mouth as his head fell forward. Frieza laughed, while Goku fell to the ground, cradling his stomach as he curled into himself from the overwhelming pain. Frieza kicked him in his ribs, drawing a scream from Goku. It happened again, and again.

* * *

Krillin screamed, "Goku, no!"

Master Roshi growled with frustration. "What kind of monster is this Frieza?"

King Kai shook his head. "This is horrible."

Chiaotzu seethed with frustration. "There's gotta be something Goku can do against him!"

* * *

A group of Planet Trade soldiers were gathered together on Planet Frieza #79. Watching the latest communications and readings from scouters, they also had recently picked up on the location and happenings coming from Frieza's scouter.

One soldier with a bird-beak and tuft of feathers on his head reached for the controls. "Everyone! Listen to this! Lord Frieza is actually fighting Goku!"

The room of nearly a dozen soldiers went quiet, with the exception of the sounds being played from Frieza's scouter. The maniacal laughter of their ruler, blasts, and grunts of pain told enough of the story to all of them as they gaped in amazement.

"Lord Frieza is going to kill that Saiyan. Good riddance." One soldier crossed his arms and smirked. "Those monkeys were too brazen and stupid for their own good. It's about time the universe is wiped clean of them."

"Prince Vegeta is still out there."

The smirking soldier scoffed. "Lord Frieza will kill him, too. Easily. Listen to how effortlessly he's taking out this Saiyan, and _this one_ already surpassed Vegeta."

"Hmm." One of the older soldiers hummed pensively. He rubbed his chin while listening to the bone-crunching sounds that played over the audio from Frieza's scouter. Although Lord Frieza was obviously coming out on top in the battle, the wise old man had his doubts about the younger soldiers' assuredness over Frieza's victory.

After all, in all his years working for the Planet Trade Organization, he'd never heard of Frieza having to get his hands dirty once. This battle was unprecedented. The tyrant only harmed people for the mere joy of doing it with his own hands. In this situation, it had obviously been required.

The soldiers all knew of the Ginyu Force's shameful defeat at the hands of the renegade Saiyans. And there was a reason the all-powerful Lord Frieza felt threatened enough by the Saiyan race to take out nearly the entire population all those years ago. This soldier knew the Saiyans shouldn't be underestimated.

* * *

Goku struggled to keep his eyes open. The pain from the accumulation of all of Frieza's attacks was becoming unbearable. He was so out of it that he hardly realized Frieza's tail was coiled tightly around his neck-not until he tried futilely to take air in his lungs. Goku tightly grasped Frieza's stubborn appendage with both hands, trying to pry himself free from the choking grasp. Though the tail would slightly budge, it seemed Frieza had a never ending supply of strength as he kept tightening the grip. But Goku refused to fail-not when he'd come so far. He gave it all he had, focusing his strength in his arms as he pried the tail further from his neck, giving him just enough space to sink his teeth as deeply into Frieza's skin as they could go.

To Goku's relief, his efforts resulted in Frieza giving way and releasing him in order to nurse his wounded tail. Goku fell to his knees with a thud, using the short time he bought himself to pant for air. He knew Frieza would be coming back at him with more very soon. He really didn't know how much more of this he could take. If he didn't think of something soon, the fight would be over.

Frieza held his tail protectively and turned a glare on Goku. "You filthy monkey! How dare you bite my tail?!"

Goku chuckled wearily. "Can you blame me? You were just trying to kill me with it."

Frieza released a curt chuckle of amusement. "I wasn't trying to _kill_ you - not yet. I know how to savor my kills. I was only trying to make you suffer."

Goku rose to his feet, focusing on Frieza's energy and fighting against every aching bone in his body that wanted him to quit. "Good. That means I don't have to feel bad about doing this!"

Frieza's eyes went wide as Goku disappeared before his eyes, only to reappear right behind Frieza, his palm extended against Frieza's back, and a massive surge of ki radiating from it. Before Frieza could react to Goku's instantaneous and advantageous reappearance, the blast made impact, sending Frieza ricocheting through the few buildings still left standing among their launchpad battlegrounds.

As Frieza's scream dissipated miles away, Goku sighed in weary relief. He's managed to hurt Frieza. But now, in order to keep his advantage in this fight, he'd have to keep going, without even wasting a second. Goku furrowed his brows, concentrating on Frieza's energy, but it seemed to be moving already. It was hard for Goku to locate, but when he did locate it, it was right next to Goku.

Goku's eyes shot open only a second before Frieza plowed through him, ramming his head straight into Goku's chest. Goku went flying, the air knocked from his lungs as he flew into a crater left from one of his previous falls.

Knocked flat on his back, Goku sucked in a deep breath of much-needed air, just before Frieza appeared again, plummeting on top of him knee-first. Goku's eyes bulged as blood flew from his mouth a second time, indicating the internal damage that he was enduring under Frieza's relentless torment.

It was too much. The struggle was draining his energy, in spite of how much power he had started off with. Goku's eyes fell closed. He'd felt he was strong enough to defeat Frieza, but apparently, he'd overestimated his abilities.

"Wake up!" Frieza kicked him, forcing Goku to open his eyes again to view the dark sky above. "It's no fun torturing you if I can't hearing you screaming."

Goku's eyes rolled back in his head, before he forced himself to roll over and push himself up on all fours. No, this wasn't right. He couldn't give up. He wouldn't give up - not until he had nothing left. He had to keep pushing, no matter what. Then Frieza kicked him in the gut again.

Goku tumbled a great distance, before forcing himself quickly to his feet again. By now, Goku was certain that most (if not all of) his ribs were broken. He definitely had internal bleeding. Frieza, on the other hand, was only showing minor bruises and scrapes. Goku's last incredible point-blank blast seemed to hurt Frieza, but his pain was nowhere near Goku's at the moment.

Goku hated to admit it, but he'd waited too long. His window to leave the battle with a fighting chance had closed. The only thing he could do now was leave and hope that he survived these injuries after this battle. He had to remember that senzu beans weren't available in space, and he'd left Earth in too much of a hurry to think of taking any with him. And after this battle, he couldn't expect to find anyone who would betray Frieza and give him access to a rejuvenation tank.

Goku furrowed his brows tightly in concentration. Leaving Planet Frieza #209 by instant transmission would take a lot more concentration than he was used to practicing. He needed a strong energy signal to latch onto. After a moment of searching, he finally found one on a nearby planet. Goku placed his fingers to his forehead and opened his eyes, intent on making the transmission, when Frieza appeared right in front of his face.

Frieza smiled menacingly. "Are you trying to leave when we're having so much fun?"

Goku gasped as Frieza kicked him in the arm, dislocating his shoulder and causing Goku to lose track of the energy he'd latched onto with that careful concentration. Hurriedly, Goku tried to find it again, but Frieza was there before he even started.

Frieza tilted his head with a smile. "Aren't you Saiyans supposed to be stubborn to a fault? Don't tell me you actually plan to bail on our battle! I'm not done torturing you yet, monkey."

As Frieza's tail swung from behind, Goku ducked in avoidance, but the tail then latched onto Goku's foot, pulling it from beneath him to hang Goku upside down. Goku grimaced as Frieza lifted him with his tail so they were nearly eye to eye.

Goku couldn't say anything in reply, but he was able to force out a cough, which sent spit flying on Frieza's exposed cheek.

Frieza grimaced in disgust. "You filthy monkey!"

As Frieza drew his fist back and punched, Goku bore the hit while trying to bide the time to concentrate. Of course, he'd have to free himself from Frieza's grasp if he wanted to escape, but he needed the time to concentrate first, and this was probably the only time Frieza was going to give him.

As Goku tried to ignore Frieza's painful assault and instead focus on the same far-off energy he'd detected before, he sensed instead an alarmingly closer one. Goku's eyes widened in realization, just before Frieza's fist landed in his gut again.

Goku grunted in pain when Frieza's tail finally released him and he dropped to the ground. When the boom of a landing spaceship sounded, Frieza didn't even pay attention to it. He was too busy staring down Goku as if in preparation for the kill.

Goku's eyes slid closed as Frieza slowly circled around him, like a shark circling its prey. He knew Frieza had enough - Goku had certainly had enough. But Goku found relief in knowing that Frieza wasn't through with his only powerful opposition.

Laying on the ground, beaten and battered, Goku chuckled wryly as he sensed the speedy approach. Frieza stopped circling and raised a brow. "What is it? Did you run out of arrogant quips? Is the _Super Saiyan_ amused by the approach of his own demise?"

As Goku forced open the eye that wasn't swelling shut from injuries, another voice responded to Frieza's question from the distance, " _That_ is no Super Saiyan, Frieza." Frieza's eyes shot in the direction of Vegeta's arrogant voice. "If you want to fight a real Super Saiyan, now's your chance. Though, it would be wiser for you to run now, while you still have the chance."

Frieza tittered in amusement. "My, my! This _is_ a surprise! I do appreciate you saving me the trip of hunting you down, Vegeta!"

Vegeta growled and flew down to the ground to face Frieza, radiating confidence and power. Goku couldn't help smiling at the sight of him. It wasn't like he expected Vegeta to save his life - he wouldn't want Vegeta to do that even _if_ the proud prince was willing. But he was impressed by Vegeta's increased power, and his ability to make it to the planet in time for the battle. Goku only regretted the fact that he already knew how this was going to end - unless Vegeta was hiding his power.

"You see what I've done with your friend here?" Frieza asked Vegeta before indicatively giving Goku a harsh kick in the shoulder. "And you think _you_ will make a difference?"

"Vegeta…" Goku wheezed Vegeta's name while giving him a look to warn him that he didn't stand a chance.

Vegeta only glanced at Goku on the ground before narrowing his eyes at Frieza. "He's only third class trash. No matter how powerful he became, he was never going to reach the level I've attained. I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and rightfully the first of my era to become the legendary Super Saiyan. It is my destiny." Vegeta raised his chin and smiled. "So, yes. I will succeed where Kakarot pathetically failed."

Frieza smirked and raised his brows, unamused and unconvinced by Vegeta's speech, before giving Goku a final look. "Don't go anywhere, Toy. I'm not done playing with you yet." He turned a glare on Vegeta. "First, I have to deflate your little Prince's overblown ego."

Vegeta smirked and swiped a thumb across his nose as he assumed a fighting stance. "Come on, Frieza. Bring it."

Frieza's lip turned up into a slow smirk before he lunged towards Vegeta with fists raised and disappeared from sight, while Vegeta smirked and crouched in preparation to begin his long-awaited battle.

* * *

A/N: Ugh-it was so hard writing this chapter, because Goku has suffered so much already. But I don't think there's been a single arc in DBZ, or even Dragonball, where Goku didn't take a hell of beating from someone. This doesn't necessarily mean he can't win against Frieza, or he's beaten, but it definitely seems to be heading that way. Now it's Vegeta's turn.


	30. Time To Die

A/N: Thank you again for all your reviews! I especially want to thank Luke, Hayabusa girl, Simgr101, daughterofrisingsun, coronadomontes, nancy103, and all the other reviewers who I haven't heard from in awhile, as well as the silent readers who have kept with this story from the beginning because...the one year anniversary is approaching! I can't believe it's almost been a year, but I really appreciate you all sticking with this for so long, and I appreciate all the newer readers who are enjoying this and reviewing as well. I'm posting this chapter now, and working hard to write the next chapter and post it by the anniversary, because it's going to be a big one and it's such a great coincidence that we're reaching that chapter at this timing.

I love reading all of your theories and predictions. Some of them really surprise me. As Luke pointed out, in the anime, Vegeta had a harder time reaching Super Saiyan because he had less need than Goku, and Goku's righteousness really drove his initial transformation, not to mention of course, the rage of witnessing the death of his close friend. Goku has been changed by his time in the planet trade in this story, so he may be incredibly powerful without even kaioken or a SS transformation, but that next step is necessary to defeat Frieza. That's why you're seeing the Saiyans having such a difficult time against him-the need that drives the Super Saiyan transformation hasn't arisen yet. I absolutely love Goku and the way this fight and transformation unfolded in the anime, but I'm putting this note here as a heads up that this battle will have a very different outcome from the anime.

* * *

With Goku laid up on the battleground, Frieza turned all his attention on Vegeta. After lunging forward and disappearing, he reappeared right in front of Vegeta, swinging a right hook square in the Saiyan prince's undefended jaw. Vegeta was knocked flying and fell, but quickly climbed to his feet as Frieza smoothly landed both feet on the ground.

Vegeta sneered at Frieza as he wiped the blood from his mouth. He couldn't believe Frieza was able to even touch him. A Super Saiyan was supposed to be untouchable! But it was only one hit. The tyrant simply got lucky. Vegeta was going to prove that to him.

With a determined smirk, Vegeta shot a powerful blast from his palm, hitting the tyrant dead-on. His grin widened as he followed the attack with another blast, and another. He would show Frieza and Kakarot both the true power of a Super Saiyan Prince.

After Vegeta stopped firing, when the smoke began to clear, he chuckled to himself. He expected to see Frieza panting and bruising from the blasts. But when the smoke lingered for too long, Vegeta became impatient, moving in to attack again and ensure his victory against his greatest nemesis.

He flew through the thick smoke and dust with his fists raised as he aimed himself towards Frieza's energy. When he made the first impact, Vegeta bared his teeth and exerted even more power with his strikes. He followed with a combination of punches and kicks, enjoying every moment of the fight. Frieza couldn't even find an opening to strike back. This was getting pathetic.

Vegeta ignored the screaming voice of his fallen comrade, who seemed to be seeing a problem with this fight. That fool couldn't even acknowledge Vegeta's imminent victory after his loss. Vegeta brashly shot forward again as Frieza jumped away, but Frieza only evaded him further. With a snarl of frustration, Vegeta raised both hands over his head, forming a ki blast that would have to make an impact on Frieza great enough to knock him off his feet. Vegeta yelled as he swung both hands forward, forcing the blast at his opponent.

Again, that incapacitated nuisance called out to him. "Vegeta, look out!"

He didn't even see it coming. Before he knew it, Vegeta was flying through the air against his will, his head pounding from the forceful collision of Frieza's fist...or his tail...

Truthfully, Vegeta didn't even know what he'd been hit with. Whatever it was, it was powerful and painful. For a moment, all Vegeta could think about was the pain of that massive blow radiating throughout his body. It was the sound of Frieza's laughter that finally knocked him from his daze.

Vegeta somersaulted through the air, before landing on his feet to glare at the mocking look from his ex-ruler. He couldn't stand that look! He wouldn't tolerate being mocked by Frieza any longer! He was a Super Saiyan now.

With a furious growl, Vegeta powered up, before throwing a barrage of blasts at Frieza, who stood calmly and seemingly accepted the blasts. Frieza's confidence didn't stop him, though. Vegeta would hit him with everything he had. He needed to defeat Frieza. Failure was unacceptable in this fight. This fight wasn't only for himself, but for the pride of the Saiyans. He had to win. He knew well what the alternative would be, and he didn't want to end up like Kakarot.

Vegeta finally ceased fire, heaving a few breaths as he calmed himself and regained his energy after that exertion. When the smoke cleared, as he allowed it to this second time, Vegeta was stunned to see Frieza standing in the middle of a deep crater, unscathed and smiling slyly back at him.

Vegeta's eyes widened as he staggered back in disbelief. "A...ah!"

"Well," Frieza said, "I have to say, Vegeta, I'm disappointed. All this talk about Super Saiyans, and it turns out your boasting is just as unfounded as Goku's."

"Disappointed?!" Vegeta scoffed. He grit his teeth and felt himself tremble in fury. No one would mock him after all the work he'd done to achieve this level of power, not even Frieza!

Frieza chuckled. "That's right. Maybe I should just finish you both now. This isn't as entertaining as I expected it to be."

Vegeta felt a surge of power run through him as he clenched his fists. "How's _this_ for entertaining?!"

As Vegeta focused his power surge into a large, concentrated blast, Frieza's eyes momentarily went wide. Vegeta was so enraged by Frieza's mockery that he could feel the blood surging through his body, his temples nearly bursting and his eyes bulging as he released the blast towards Frieza with as much massive force as the blast itself contained. He gave almost everything he had in that shot, but to his surprise, a counter blast from Frieza surged against it. Vegeta realized that Frieza had to either be crazy or more powerful than him not to avoid that blast. He refused to doubt himself, though. Instead, he powered through it, exerting more force into his blast as he felt an overwhelming struggle coming from the other side.

"Aah!" Vegeta screamed as he sent more energy, draining himself more than he wanted to. But Frieza's blast kept coming. It was coming in stronger. Vegeta's eyes widened when he realized he was going to be consumed by Frieza's massive blast of power. He shut his eyes tightly just as he felt scorching heat beginning to envelope him.

Then, nothing happened. Vegeta's eyes shot open in shock. He was amazed to see the blast that nearly consumed him from an entirely different vantage point. He was suddenly standing just behind Frieza, the smiling, blasting freak seeming completely unaware of Vegeta's new location.

Then, Vegeta found himself floating away from Frieza, until he realized he was being pulled. Vegeta glanced at his grasped shoulder to see the pale hand pulling him. As they continued floating away, Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Goku's face. That man was out of the battle. He should have known better than to interfere. Though...Vegeta would be dead right now if he hadn't...and he still didn't understand just _how_ Goku had managed to interfere.

Vegeta shook his shoulder loose from Goku's grasp. "Kakarot! What the hell was that?"

Goku looked momentarily stunned as he lost his grip on Vegeta, but then smiled. "I could tell you weren't going to make it, so I gathered my energy to use one of my new techniques to get you out of there. It's called-"

"I don't care!" Vegeta snapped. He realized there was no time for explanations, and he really didn't want to hear what Kakarot had to say after he pointed out that he wasn't going to survive that attack. Frieza would eventually come for them when he realized he was blasting away at nothing.

Goku collapsed in a heap on the ground, seeming to have expended the remains of his energy to make that escape. "Frieza's too powerful for you to fight head-on, Vegeta!"

"For _you_ , maybe." Vegeta sneered, though he had a nagging feeling that Kakarot might've had a point. Vegeta glared in frustration. "Dammit! How is he so powerful? No one should be able to overpower a Super Saiyan!"

"Maybe we're not Super Saiyans."

Vegeta gasped, then grunted, refusing to give Goku a reply. Instead, he turned his eyes on Frieza, debating what his next move should be. What Kakarot said was something he refused to hear. No Saiyan since the legendary Super Saiyan had reached a power anywhere near their current level. He had to be a Super Saiyan. He wouldn't hear anything to suggest otherwise.

"Really," Goku pressed before glaring nervously towards Frieza releasing his blast and lowering his hands to his sides, "think about it. We don't look any different than usual. You should have seen how Frieza's power grew when he transformed, and look how different _he_ is. The great ape was a transformation that gave us a lot of power. Maybe Super Saiyan isn't any different."

Vegeta frowned. "Great. So now you think I need to fight Frieza in that detestable, oversized form if I want to fight as a Super Saiyan?"

"No. I...I don't know."

"Do I need to remind you that's impossible for both of us now, seeing that our tails are gone?!"

Goku scowled towards the ground, looking more defeated than Vegeta had ever seen him. Vegeta turned his gaze towards Frieza, stiffening as Frieza began sifting through the rubble where Vegeta would be laying now if it weren't for Goku's quick rescue.

While apprehensively watching Frieza, Vegeta couldn't help thinking that Kakarot could be right. The transformation observation was a rare show of intelligence on the third class soldier's part. His logic did make sense, though. But if he really wasn't a Super Saiyan, Vegeta realized he was just as screwed as Kakarot.

* * *

A pair of blue eyes, one of which was shielded by a translucent shade of green, widened brightly. "I've got something!"

A crowd of people surrounding the outcrying woman gasped and shifted toward her attentively as she narrowed her eyes to focus and listen. When she gasped and lowered her brows in concern, the others exchanged worried looks.

Shifting uncomfortably from the silence, the pig was the first to speak. "What is it, Bulma?"

Bulma sighed heavily as she looked at Oolong, then Yamcha, then Puar. The sound of running footsteps approaching redirected all of their attention temporarily towards the doorway. Bulma knew exactly who it was, and answering Oolong's question wouldn't get any easier with them in the room.

Her eyes flitted towards the feminine form barging through the doorway as she hurriedly gave her answer. "Goku and Vegeta are both fighting Frieza as we speak."

In the doorway, Chi-Chi gasped and held her breath with anticipation, while Gohan ran in right behind her, apparently having been unable to hold his mother back, or even keep up with her for that matter.

Bulma knew how protective Chi-Chi could be when it came to her family. This would be so much easier if Chi-Chi weren't there. Bulma couldn't help shooting Gohan a reproving look for bringing her, which unfortunately was caught by Piccolo, who came into the room like Gohan's shadow and subsequently glared back at Bulma. Dodoria followed soon after, lagging behind.

Bulma grimaced under Piccolo's heated gaze. Apparent ally or not, the guy still scared her. She wasn't so quick to forgive and forget like Goku could be. But she tried to ignore Piccolo, which turned out easier than she thought it would be when more voices played over the scouter in her ear. _"...sounds like it won't be much longer. Lord Frieza will-"_

Oolong crossed his arms and grunted impatiently. "What is it, Bul-"

"Shut up!" Bulma snapped, raising a fist towards Oolong's face as she furrowed her brows to intensely concentrate on the voices from the scouter.

 _"...dead yet?"_

 _"You would think they should be by now, but it seems Lord Frieza is relishing his work."_

 _"Hmph. So they're still alive. Maybe Lord Frieza should spare them so they live long enough to repair the launchpad they're destroying over there so we won't have-"_

"Bulma," Piccolo said, "what's happening in the fight?"

Bulma removed the scouter from her ear and gently set it on the table. Even though she could tell Oolong to shove it all day, she wasn't going to respond that way to Piccolo. Besides, she had enough to go on now.

It was Piccolo who suggested that she use the scouter to keep track of Goku recently in the first place, though she doubted he had the same motives _she_ did for wanting to do so. But Piccolo was right to wonder. After several attacks, the Earth had been untouched for months, just when the fighters were expecting the worst to happen. As wonderful as that was, it was also making Bulma nervous. If danger wasn't coming to Earth, it had to be striking somewhere else. It figured it had to be where Goku was.

"They're still alive-both Saiyans." Bulma gulped. "But from the way it sounds, people in space don't expect them to survive much longer."

Gasps filled the room, along with a few more subdued grunts. Bulma pressed her fingers together nervously. She didn't want to think about what would come next. They all knew that the Planet Trade had to know about Earth's survivors. King Kai's warning was playing over in her ears. The Earth should have disavowed the Saiyans. The humans on Earth were innocent in all of this, but Frieza was going to come after them anyways. She didn't want to die again!

Dodoria crossed his arms and tilted his head. "What people exactly?"

Bulma glared and let out a growl. "How should I know?! They're not exactly introducing themselves every time they speak!"

Dodoria frowned impassively, before reaching his palm expectantly towards Bulma. "Give it to me. You don't know how to use it."

Bulma bared her teeth, frustrated by anyone questioning her ability to use tech of any sort, but at Piccolo's insistent look and Gohan's pleading one, she relented and slammed the device in Dodoria's clammy, purple palm with a huff. "There. It doesn't matter who's speaking, anyways. What difference does it make? There's nothing _we_ can do for them." She stood and irately pounded a fist on the table. "We need a plan for how we're going to survive after this fight is over!"

"Bulma," Gohan gasped, "don't talk like that!"

Chi-Chi pulled Gohan into her embrace. "There has to be something someone can do for Goku." She looked around the room, but everyone lowered their heads and refused to meet her gaze. "Well? What are you going to do to help him?"

Bulma frowned sympathetically at Chi-Chi and Gohan. Maybe they were right. She was overreacting too quickly. Goku would never back down from a challenge, even if it almost killed him. The soldiers' reports didn't necessarily mean anything. She'd seen too many instances of people writing Goku off, only to be sorely surprised losers in the end.

With a half-smile, she stepped up to Gohan and Chi-Chi and ruffed Gohan's hair while winking at Chi-Chi. "Don't worry, Kiddo. Those reports are probably wrong. Your dad's pretty good at taking care of himself. He always finds a way to come out on top."

"Yeah!" Yamcha agreed with a wide, over-confident smile.

Bulma wished she could feel as convinced by her words as Yamcha. But at least it seemed to do the trick for Goku's family. As Chi-Chi and Gohan sighed in appreciation and relief, Dodoria blinked at something he'd heard over the scouter he'd placed over his ear during that conversation. Everyone else was studying him intently, but of course they didn't dare to question _him_ while he was listening to the scouter. Bulma crossed her arms and scowled, tapping her door impatiently as she waited. Finally, Dodoria looked around the room, ready to communicate, until his gaze settled on Bulma.

"Girl, on which planet is this fight taking place?"

Bulma blinked as she recalled the earlier bits of information she'd heard. "Uh…Frieza something."

Dodoria frowned disbelievingly. "I need a number. There are a _lot_ of Planet Friezas."

"Well, that's stupid. What kind of way is that to name planets?" Bulma raised her chin and closed her eyes. "And people think _I'm_ full of myself."

Dodoria groaned. "So much for trying to send help."

"What are Goku and Vegeta's chances?" Piccolo asked Dodoria.

Dodoria shook his head and removed his scouter. "Slim to none. Lord Frieza won't leave a single Saiyan living after a rebellion like this." He looked towards Gohan. "After he kills Goku and Vegeta, you can bet he'll be coming here."

As Gohan gulped and Chi-Chi clung to him tighter, Bulma gaped in disbelief. She looked around the room, gauging everyone else's stunned reactions to Dodoria's warning. Of course, the implied meaning behind his words was that Frieza knew about Gohan, but that didn't seem possible.

Bulma shook her head in denial. "You don't think Frieza knows about Gohan."

Dodoria sighed. "If he doesn't force that information out of Goku, either Vegeta could tell him out of spite, or Frieza will learn about the kid eventually when he comes here for the Earth."

Yamcha tilted his head. "Why do you expect Frieza to come to Earth?"

Dodoria smiled wryly. "Goku obviously loved this planet. He was real hung up on it when we first met. Since Planet Trade officers have been trying to take over, I'm sure Lord Frieza already knows of the planet's survivors. You can bet he'll want to destroy us here, even _after_ he's killed Goku."

Piccolo shook his head. "I won't let that happen."

"You won't have a choice."

Bulma's head snapped towards Dodoria at those finite words. She hated to admit it, but it really seemed there were no options for them. If Goku and Vegeta failed to kill Frieza, Frieza would exterminate the human race for a second time.

Bulma wrung her hands together and looked towards the sky, mumbling to herself and no one else. "Come on, Goku. You have to defeat him. Don't let your wish to revive us be in vain."

"The Dragonballs!" Yamcha slammed a fist in his open palm as everyone startled at his outcry. "That's why Goku wanted you to gather them, Bulma! We can use the Dragonballs to keep Frieza away."

Bulma smiled in relief. She _had_ gathered the Dragonballs, like Goku suggested, while he was training in space and the others were busy thwarting the Planet Trade attacks on Earth. Her smile widened as the others began to smile. Maybe that could work. Maybe...

"I don't know much about those Dragonballs," Dodoria grumbled, "but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Nothing ever seems to keep anyone safe from Frieza. Don't believe me?" He raised a brow to the incredulous faces surrounding him. "Just look at Goku and Vegeta. They've trained to become two of the most powerful warriors in the universe, yet their struggle was in vain. They're both going to die."

Bulma resumed wringing her hands together and exchanged worried glances with the others as a heavy silence filled the room.

* * *

On the battleground, Frieza grunted in frustration and kicked a chunk of rock, which went flying clear across the decimated field of rubble while Frieza continued looking around. He couldn't find the body. Either he went a little overboard and completely incinerated Vegeta with that blast, or the Saiyan Prince made some miraculous escape. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Frieza snapped his head towards the location where he left Goku.

When he realized Goku was no longer there, he growled furiously, loudly enough for those Saiyans to hear him, wherever they might be. He was not amused by Goku's interference in his battle with Vegeta. That blasted technique of his could be a real problem.

Touching the scouter at his ear, Frieza decided it was time to stop fooling around. He needed to find those monkeys, and he needed to kill them before they made another escape attempt. When the beeping of his scouter gradually grew faster, Frieza turned to follow the arrow pointing his lens in the direction of the weakening power levels that were far too low to rival his. He levitated and flew slowly in that direction, finding the Saiyans engaged in a serious conversation.

Frieza chuckled as he drew near, gaining the Saiyans' attention. "Coming up with a strategy to defeat me? How cute. And I thought you two would never work together." He wiped the amusement off his face as he glared. "You Saiyans are lower life forms, incapable of ever defeating me. I can see your moves before you make them. This is hopeless. If you were using your time wisely, you would have worked on an escape attempt, or at least on accepting your demise, rather than fighting me."

Vegeta glared and bared his teeth at Frieza. "If we're so incapable, why did you destroy Planet Vegeta?"

At Vegeta's snide tone, Frieza groaned. "Because your race disgusts me."

"That's not it. You're afraid of us, Frieza."

Frieza laughed. Here, these idiots were clearly losing, clearly overpowered, and they dared to accuse _him_ of being afraid. And they _still_ couldn't understand why he wanted to rid the universe of their kind. His laughter didn't die off until Goku forced himself to sit up and glare intently at Frieza.

"Vegeta's right." Goku said. "That's why you've kept us so close. You wanted to keep an eye on us."

Frieza rolled his eyes. These Saiyans were too full of themselves - always had been. There was only one way to remedy that situation. It was time for them to die and finally shut up.

"Alright." Frieza shrugged and smiled. "Keep your delusions. I'm going to kill you both now. After I'm done here, I'm going to Planet Earth to kill the irritating, mysterious survivors who have been killing my men."

Goku's eyes bulged. "Earth?!"

Frieza smirked and crossed his arms. "Maybe, if I get lucky, I'll identify your friends, Goku, and give them a _special_ send off." He narrowed his gaze at Vegeta. "Though it is strange that I'd have the opportunity to meet them, seeing that your man Raditz claimed to have purged the planet."

Frieza tapped his finger impatiently against his bicep. That little mystery he would like to have cleared up by the Saiyans before they died. His men had made it clear that something on Earth was killing their teams, and the most recently failed team had managed to confirm that the resistance was coming from Earthlings.

He never suspected Raditz of lying about that purge. It was clearly a sore subject between the brothers-enough for Goku to kill Raditz. Goku wasn't the type to kill his own brother without a serious reason. Yet if he killed him in retaliation for the Earthlings, Frieza couldn't understand what in the hell they were doing alive. Not that he would complain. He rather appreciated the opportunity to further torment Goku. Still, he had to know.

Since Vegeta clearly understood Frieza's implication but wasn't answering, Frieza turned his glare on Goku. "How is it that the Earthlings are still alive?"

Goku and Vegeta exchanged a glance, but remained tight-lipped. Interesting. Whatever the reason, it was something they didn't want Frieza to know. When Vegeta started glaring accusingly at Goku, Frieza decided it was Goku who had the answer. If Goku didn't want to share that information, Frieza had ways of getting it.

Frieza smirked. "Alright. I've decided who to kill first."

Before either Saiyan could react or brace themselves, Frieza lunged forward, thrusting his fist into Vegeta's face. As Vegeta's cheek turned, Frieza wrapped his tail around his leg, stopping the Saiyan from flying away so he could pummel him some more.

He hit him several times, smiling and laughing at the fun of finally making the Saiyan Prince into his punching bag. He'd always admired Vegeta over other Saiyans, but when Vegeta turned on him, that all changed. A part of Frieza might've regretted having to take out Vegeta, but he couldn't deny that he was having fun doing it. When he grew bored of the punching, Frieza finally uncoiled his tail to let the battered prince fall to the ground.

"Frieza!" Goku shouted from the distance.

Frieza literally shot a warning glare at Goku, with lasers of ki from his eyes which shot straight through the Saiyan's extended arm. "You stay out of this! I'll get to you later."

As Goku grimaced in pain and clutched his bleeding bicep, Frieza lunged for Vegeta again. Vegeta was on his feet and ready for the attack, so Frieza decided to have a little fun while the Prince still thought he had a chance.

Instead of attacking, Frieza tossed Vegeta into the air like a rag doll. He enjoyed the look of bewilderment on the monkey's face when Frieza reappeared only inches in front of him, smiling before Vegeta could regain control of his body. Then Vegeta darted away.

While Vegeta fled rapidly, Frieza followed, easily appearing behind the Saiyan to whisper in his ear, "This is far too easy for me, Vegeta. I'm sorry it had to come to this."

As Frieza planted a foot into Vegeta's stomach, stopping him mid-flight, Vegeta gasped. Frieza frowned as he stared down the helpless man in front of him. He truly meant what he'd said. He'd like to spare Vegeta, but couldn't because of his disloyalty. However, maybe if he had Vegeta re-prove his loyalty, he would still be salvageable.

Frieza pursed his lips and tilted his head. "Maybe you'd like to do the honors of killing Goku for me."

Vegeta balked as Frieza removed his foot and allowed Vegeta to float by his own control. Then Vegeta laughed. "Why would I do that?"

"To prove your loyalty. If you are willing to kill the last remaining member of your race, your last subject, then I will spare you. I'll know you have no one to be loyal to, but me. There will be no more Saiyans, _only_ Prince Vegeta, who will be indebted to me for sparing his life."

Vegeta stared impassively back at Frieza, but Frieza knew he had to be considering it.

"I know you want to kill him anyways." Frieza smiled. "You've always hated him for being so uppity and defying you, stealing your position in the organization, stealing your pride."

Vegeta gasped, then growled as he clearly took offense to that jab. Frieza couldn't help himself. He knew what a prideful fool Vegeta was, and even if Frieza was willing to spare Vegeta, Frieza was still angry with him.

"No one stole my pride, Frieza. Kakarot challenged me," Vegeta smirked, "but I'll put him to shame now by being the one who defeats _you_ , not him!"

Frieza frowned. "So you won't kill him? Not even to save yourself?"

"As you know, Frieza," Vegeta smiled proudly, "I am a proud Saiyan and always will be. If you think I would willingly destroy what's left of my race for the purpose of saving my own life, you're an even bigger fool than Kakarot. I'd rather die in battle than live with the shame of that cowardly decision."

As Frieza opened his mouth to reply, Vegeta darted away, too soon for Frieza to watch where he was going. Vegeta just ruined his chance. Now Frieza was definitely going to kill him. He realized he should have never given Vegeta a chance in the first place. He couldn't help having a soft spot for that damn monkey, though. Frieza bared his teeth as he looked around, intending to shoot Vegeta down, but apparently, Vegeta already had that intention.

As a blast of ki came flying at him, Frieza just barely dodged it, before shooting back in annoyance. He shot a few laser-like blasts which Vegeta managed to dodge, so Frieza decided to amp it up. He used both hands to charge a massive amount of ki into his next blast, which would be fatal to anyone whose power level wasn't on par with his own.

"So, you've decided to die, Vegeta?" Frieza laughed, "I'll put you out of your misery right now!"

By the look on Vegeta's and Goku's faces in the distance, they realized this was the kill shot. Frieza's lips spread into a wide smile as he released the dark, crackling, massive ball of ki towards Vegeta, intent on killing him with that blast, before he would resume slowly killing Goku. It was time for the Saiyans to die and disappear forever.

After the massive blast dissipated in a blinding explosion, Frieza shielded his eyes. When the light faded away and his eyes reopened, he was shocked by what he saw hovering in the distance. This was completely unexpected.


	31. A Life Given

A/N: I know I said I would post this on the anniversary, but I have to work tomorrow and may not be able to post it until late afternoon/evening. So, I think you've all waited long enough. I'm posting just a few hours premature of the story's anniversary. Thank you all so much for your patience!

* * *

Vegeta's mouth was hanging open in shock. Frieza looked equally shocked from across the large gap of air between them. But Vegeta still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he was still alive after seeing that incredible blast coming towards him.

Kakarot…

A loud cough from his Saiyan counterpart floating in front of him finally snapped Vegeta back to reality, just before Goku's scorched body plummeted to the ground. Vegeta knit his brows tightly, still bewildered over what just happened, before taking a cautious glance at Frieza. Seeing that the tyrant was watching Goku's fall with even greater disbelief than Vegeta was feeling, Vegeta took the opportunity to dive to the ground after Goku.

"Kakarot!" Vegeta called as he landed beside Goku, who collided to the ground with a thud.

"V-Vegeta…" Goku chuckled weakly as he tried to sit up.

"What the hell did you just do?!"

As Goku fell back and his listless head bobbed to the side, Vegeta shook his head. He could feel Goku's energy rapidly fading. He knew what Kakarot had just done, but he still couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand it. Frieza intended that blast for Vegeta, and Kakarot was nowhere near enough to have needed to suffer from it.

There was no reason for him to move into the path of that blast, aside from…well, Kakarot would never make a sacrifice like that for Vegeta. They were hardly comrades, let alone friends. He had to have some other motive. Maybe he just did it to avoid further torture from Frieza, which would've followed after Vegeta's death. That had to be it. Either way, it was a dumb move.

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away, speaking with no conviction. "You're an idiot."

"I already lost this fight. But I c-can't let Frieza go to Earth." Vegeta gasped when he felt the tight clutch of Goku's hand wrapping around his leg. "You have to kill him. You _have_ to!"

As he eyed Frieza, who was curiously watching them from above, Vegeta growled in frustration. "What do you think I've been trying to do!?"

"No!" Goku yelled, his stern exclamation forcing him to cough harshly as he winced and clutched his chest. "Don't try! _Do_ it! You're the prince of all Saiyans, _aren't_ you?"

Vegeta gasped at the hinted accusation behind those words. Then he spoke through clenched teeth, "I've reached my limit, Kakarot. You have no idea what kind of intensive training I've been doing since I left Earth."

It was bad enough that Kakarot had to make a mockery of his status while alive, but now he even had to use his dying breath to mock Vegeta's title and failed efforts to defeat Frieza. However, as much as he hated Kakarot, Vegeta had to respect him for being willing to sacrifice himself so that the better Saiyan could live to defeat Frieza. This was Vegeta's chance to surpass Kakarot _and_ Frieza.

"I-" Goku coughed, "I don't believe in limits! Stop spewing that bullshit! Fight!"

Vegeta turned to glare down at Goku, but the sight of the other Saiyan made him do a double take.

Goku's body was limp and weak as his eyes slid closed. "D-don't let him wi…"

"K-Kakarot?"

Vegeta could hardly feel any ki from him anymore. No, he _couldn't_ feel any ki from him anymore. Goku was dead. The sight of yet another dead Saiyan left an impact on him. This murder left him the sole Saiyan survivor from Planet Vegeta now. Aside from a half-breed child who knew just as little about being Saiyan as his father, Vegeta was the last of his kind.

* * *

King Kai shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. This is terrible."

"What happened, King Kai?"

King Kai glanced over his shoulder at Krillin and the other concerned faces staring back at him. He never personally knew the Saiyan they cared for so much, but it was apparent how important he was to them. Sometimes it was difficult being a god, especially when it came down to being the one to deliver bad news.

"Something bad happened." The turtle hermit interjected with a knowing frown. "It's Goku. I can feel it."

King Kai nodded and turned around to look up towards the ambient blue sky above his tiny planet. "Goku was killed by Frieza."

"What?!" Krillin and Chiaotzu both shouted, while Bubbles began jumping around and screeching.

"Goku, the _Saiyan_?" Gregory asked. "Frieza must really be something."

"He is." King Kai said as he turned to face the others. "He's a monster."

"Goku can't be dead!" Krillin yelled adamantly.

King Kai frowned at the sad sight of the turtle hermit placing a hand on Krillin's shoulder. "I'm afraid he's right, Krillin." Roshi said. "Even Goku isn't invincible, you know. Even if he seems it sometimes."

Krillin grumbled and grit his teeth as tears seeped from the corners of his eyes. As the old man squeezed his shoulder in consolation, Chiaotzu stepped forward. "I'm sorry, Krillin. I know he was your best friend. I miss Tien, too, now that he's not dead here with us anymore."

"Hey, wait!" Krillin's eyes lit excitedly. "If Goku's dead, shouldn't he be coming here? We'll get to see him, right?"

King Kai frowned and exchanged a glance with the old man, who seemed to be the only other person already aware of the answer to that question. He hated to shatter everyone's hope, but it was better to get it over with right away, before they got too excited.

King Kai sighed, but Roshi beat him to the answer. "I don't think so, Krillin. You know what King Kai told us about what Goku's been doing since joining the other Saiyans."

Krillin's jaw dropped. "So you think he'll be sent...down below? _Goku_?" Krillin screeched in disbelief. "After all the good he's done, the gods would overlook that because of some terrible things he was forced to do?!"

"Maybe." King Kai said pensively while rubbing his chin. "But still, that decision is out of our hands here. Goku didn't die in my quadrant. He would go to Planet Frieza #209's check-in station, and there they would decide. So even if he isn't sent to hell for his murders, he still won't be seeing us."

Krillin crossed his arms and glared towards the ground, tears springing to his eyes again. "It's not right. If anyone deserves to be rewarded in the afterlife, it's Goku." He shook his head fervently. "But he can't be dead!"

* * *

"He is." Dodoria huffed, clicking off his scouter to look at the outraged and incredulous expressions of everyone he'd just informed.

"But…Dad…" little Gohan's eyes watered and lip quivered, and Dodoria had to turn away. He couldn't stand that mushy stuff. Goku was a warrior. Warriors died all the time-especially ones stupid enough to oppose Lord Frieza.

"No!" Yamcha shook his head and clenched his eyes shut. "No, not Goku!"

"Yamcha!" Puar cried as she clung to him for comfort.

"There must be some mistake…right?" The pig asked with a nervous laugh, looking to Dodoria, then when Dodoria gave him a look to suggest he wasn't going to answer that redundant question, to Bulma.

Bulma wasn't even looking at Oolong. She was staring with watery eyes at the sobbing boy and his shocked mother. "Goku always pulls through. This is like some bad dream…Chi-Chi?"

Dodoria followed Bulma's gaze to see the checked-out look in Chi-Chi's eyes. She looked like she was about to snap. Then, so suddenly that everyone jumped back, she swept Gohan into her arms in a fierce embrace. "No! No, I'm not going to let that monster that killed my husband get my baby! He can't come here! You!" She pointed a rigid finger at Dodoria and glared. "You used to work for the guy! _You_ go out there in space and stop him from coming to Earth!"

Dodoria's eyes bulged in shock before he looked around the room and finally let out a few curt chuckles. "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

"Mom-" Gohan tried to wiggle from Chi-Chi's grasp.

"Don't 'Mom' _me_ , Gohan! This man hasn't done anything good since he came to Earth! He even slowed down your studies with all that training you were doing! I don't even know why Goku brought him here…and now Goku's…" she paused as her lip trembled and tears fell from the corners of her eyes, "now he's…DEAD!"

As Chi-Chi released Gohan and fell to her knees wailing her grief, Dodoria shook his head, turned away and sighed. "Dammit. Maybe it's not too late to beg Frieza for forgiveness."

Bulma and Oolong gasped as they looked at Dodoria with wide eyes. "You think that might work?"

Dodoria smirked. "For _me_ , maybe. You Earthlings are a lost cause."

Piccolo growled and grabbed Dodoria by the throat. "Listen here! If Goku's really dead, you better watch what you say around here. Not _everyone_ on Earth is as willing to be friendly to you as he was." Piccolo threw Dodoria against the wall and then crossed his arms. "Beside, Vegeta still has a chance of defeating Frieza, doesn't he?"

Dodoria shook off the painless attack and glared back at Piccolo with a chuckle. "Hardly. If Goku couldn't survive fighting Frieza, Vegeta's finished. Goku was the greatest Saiyan warrior I've ever seen-and I've seen a lot of them. Vegeta is just a washed-out prince with nothing to lose."

Piccolo seemed intrigued by that last statement, but quickly waved a dismissive hand towards Dodoria as he turned his back to him. "Just keep listening. I want to know what else happens."

While Chi-Chi continued wailing in Gohan's arms, and the others murmured melancholically to one another, Dodoria clicked the scouter back on, sitting down to await the latest news from space. He didn't know _why_ he was sitting down. He should have been fleeing Earth by now if he wanted to make a clean getaway. He didn't need to listen to the reports. He knew how this battle was going to turn out already. Frieza was unstoppable, and he _didn't_ show mercy. As much as Dodoria might hope to save himself, he knew as long as Frieza lived, he was as good as dead, just like the Earthlings.

* * *

Vegeta turned away from Goku. He died a warrior's death, just like Nappa and Raditz-it wasn't a bad death, especially not at the hands of someone as powerful as Frieza. But Vegeta had no intentions of joining him in that fate. When Vegeta's eyes lit on the murderer, he couldn't help glaring at him indignantly for reducing the Saiyan race to this point. Killing Kakarot was a mistake on Frieza's part-a crime that the tyrant should have never committed. It was one too many Saiyans dead by Frieza's hands. Although Vegeta was certain that he had reached his limit with his training, he knew he still had a chance to defeat Frieza, if only he could transform!

"He's dead." Frieza said coolly as he stared at Goku and lowered to stand in front of Vegeta. "Pity. This wasn't the order I planned on, but I suppose I can be flexible." He shifted his gaze from Goku to Vegeta with a sly smile. "Ready, Vegeta?"

Vegeta sneered defiantly at Frieza. "Yes. I'm ready to finally show you what I've been working my whole life to achieve. I _will_ become a Super Saiyan and defeat you!"

Frieza threw his head back and laughed. "Still carrying on with that joke? Sometimes you're too much, Vegeta."

Vegeta yelled as he lunged for Frieza, summoning all the strength he could muster. He didn't know how he was going to do it, or why it hadn't happened yet, but somehow he had to tap into that power that he could sense buried beneath the surface. It was there! He just needed to access it. He needed it to survive!

Frieza chuckled and sidestepped Vegeta's attack with ease. Then he countered by punching Vegeta in the face. Vegeta went flying, but quickly recovered and came at Frieza again. "You're going to die, Frieza!"

Frieza glared and disappeared before Vegeta's punch swung through empty air, then reappeared behind Vegeta and sent a blast through his shoulder. Vegeta cringed and screamed in pain, before righting himself to counter Frieza's attacks again. Frieza smirked and disappeared from sight.

"Vegeta." Frieza's voice called from the distance, causing Vegeta to snap his neck in the direction of the voice. "Keep your eye on the ball."

Vegeta's eyes widened as a glowing red disc came at him through the air, but he dodged it just barely as it grazed his armor and sliced his skin. Vegeta glared and lunged for Frieza again, coming at him with a furious flurry of attacks, which the sadist dodged while smiling in amusement.

"You fight with such confidence, Vegeta," Frieza said as he easily swept Vegeta's fist away from his face, "or maybe you're _so_ frightened that something in you has finally snapped."

Vegeta's eyes widened in alarm, but he kept fighting. Frieza blasted him in the face, knocking him flying with an incredible pain that was hard to shake off. When Vegeta clashed face-first with the ground breaking beneath his body, he forced himself upright, his knees shaking like pudding. This wasn't how this battle was supposed to happen.

"Really, Vegeta." Frieza floated towards him with a considerate tilt of his head, smirking. "Goku put up a much better fight than this. You must be so disappointed in yourself."

Vegeta furiously growled and attacked Frieza again. It was all he ever knew, all he could do. There wasn't much choice at this point, but the transformation just wasn't coming to him, and he needed it desperately. It was infuriating! How could he work so hard and train so hard, and never match Frieza's level? He was the Prince of all Saiyans, the greatest warrior race in the universe! Even Kakarot, a third class nobody, had managed to surpass him. Frieza was right. He wasn't just disappointed in himself. He was furious with himself!

After Frieza cackled and threw Vegeta aside with yet another blast, Vegeta fell to his knees, falling into the cracking, rocky concrete as his head hung in defeat.

Frieza was hovering domineeringly above him with a smug smile. "Now, I'll finally rid my universe of you worthless, barbaric monkeys."

It couldn't end this way! He couldn't understand why he couldn't transform. Vegeta pounded his fist repeatedly into the breaking ground beneath him, nearly sobbing with fury. He felt tears brimming in his eyes. All his hard work was for nothing. Frieza was going to kill him anyways, as he always feared. He'd had enough.

With a furious yell, Vegeta tossed his head towards the sky, clenching his fists as a burst of power surged through him. The power expanded through him and coursed through his veins like nothing he'd ever felt before. Vegeta continued screaming louder as more overwhelming power burst from within, engulfing him in a golden glow. When his nerves calmed enough for him to stop yelling and exerting enough power to make the ground tremble around him, Vegeta stood to his feet. The levitated rocks and debris surrounding him fell to the ground as he looked at his hands, noticing the bright aura that surrounded every essence of his being.

More than he could see it, he could _feel_ it. And when he looked up to see Frieza gawking at him, Vegeta felt his smile stretch wider than it ever had before. It finally happened. He had finally achieved his destiny. Getting his revenge against Frieza was going to be _fun_.

* * *

A/N: A few notes:

1\. Death is sad, but rarely the end in DBZ. No fight against someone as strong, ruthless and sadistic as Frieza could have ended without a death, especially when it was two Saiyans who would never abandon a fight once it was started. Deciding who would die was not an easy choice.

2\. Since today is this story's anniversary, I have posted not only this chapter, but the next one. Two today! You can go ahead if you have to know what happens next.

3\. In the anime, there were two different explanations for how Vegeta reached SS. In Japanese, he claimed his anger at himself for being unable to surpass Kakarot drove his transformation, and it was the pure evil in his heart that awoke the Saiyan within. I go by that one, both because it makes more sense to me, and I usually go by Japanese because it's the way it was originally written. Sometimes English dub translations really irk me. In English, Vegeta gave a very long-winded explanation that suggested his frustration with being unable to defeat Kakarot drove him to such misery that he finally gave up, and it was when he didn't care anymore that he was able to transform. Either way, I hope everyone agrees in this altered universe, given the situation, that Vegeta would be able to transform at this point. I know a lot of Vegeta fans feel he was snubbed by Goku reaching the transformation and defeating Frieza, so I feel this was fitting. Goku is awesome, but Frieza really made Vegeta's life hell a lot more than he did to Goku. And even though Goku died in this chapter, his death wasn't meant to drive Vegeta to his transformation. Vegeta seeing Goku die does not have the same emotional value as Goku seeing Krillin killed. Vegeta doesn't care about anyone else enough yet to go into a rage over someone else's death.

4\. Some of you mentioned the possibility of Goku training with King Kai and using the Spirit Bomb. He's never learned the Spirit Bomb in this story, and if he's not pure enough to ride Nimbus, he's most likely not pure enough to wield that attack. However, I don't think his actions in the planet trade would necessarily prevent him from being able to train with King Kai. Look at Tien and Piccolo-they've both killed, and they were able to train with King Kai. Even the Ginyu Force went to his planet, though I don't really think that was intended for _their_ benefit. Of course, I've always wondered why King Kai never taught any of the other fighters Kaioken or Spirit Bomb. This speculation makes me think that maybe it was because they weren't as pure as Goku, if there is a real reason for that at all.


	32. Ascended

The blue sky above King Kai's planet was tranquil and still as a breeze rustled the grass at their feet, near the edge of the solitary road. Everyone was silent and waiting as King Kai focused on something far away.

Finally, King Kai gasped. "He did it."

"Did what?"

"He actually did it, Krillin!"

Krillin felt relieved by the contagious relief wafting off King Kai, though he had no idea what the deity was excited about.

"Who did it?" Roshi asked warily before his tone turned grim. "Vegeta…or Frieza?"

King Kai's smile ebbed into a frown. "Vegeta. He's a Super Saiyan now. But now that you mention it, I guess the situation hasn't improved much, either way."

Krillin, Chiaotzu and Roshi exchanged curious glances as Bubbles scratched his head.

"Super Saiyan?" Chiaotzu asked.

Krillin scowled to himself. He didn't need to know what a Super Saiyan was, though it was obviously good for Vegeta. No matter what was happening in that battle now, it couldn't be good for _them_. Goku was already dead.

King Kai sighed. "Would any of you put your trust in that Saiyan like you did with Goku?"

Krillin didn't waste a second, shaking his head in denial as Master Roshi did the same. He couldn't ever trust another Saiyan after what Raditz put him through-and that Saiyan was Goku's _brother_.

"We've never met any Saiyans aside from Goku and the one who killed us." Chiaotzu shrugged. "We really can't judge what this guy is like."

Krillin crossed his arms and grumbled, "I imagine he'd have more in common with _Raditz_ than Goku, though."

King Kai shuddered. "Great. So no matter the outcome of this fight, the universe could be doomed. I don't know why that Saiyan sacrificed himself for the other one!"

"Sacrificed himself?" Master Roshi's eyes went wide. "For Vegeta?"

King Kai nodded and hummed in agreement as Krillin's eyes bulged at the alarming revelation. "No way!"

"What was he thinking?!" Chiaotzu asked.

Master Roshi lowered his chin as a pensive scowl crossed his face. Krillin knew that look. As much as he, Chiaotzu, and the others on the tiny planet who didn't know Goku at all were flabbergasted by Goku's drastic decision, it seemed Master Roshi realized something they didn't.

"Goku wouldn't quit any fight he thought he could win." Master Roshi mused, more to himself than the others. "He knew he was finished."

That astute observation hit Krillin like a blow to the gut. He still couldn't believe Goku had suffered through all he'd been through, only to be defeated and killed in what could have been a life-altering battle. Krillin furrowed his brows and lowered his head despondently. "Goku."

"But he wouldn't leave the fate of the universe in the hands of someone he didn't trust." Master Roshi said firmly. "Vegeta has to be better than Frieza."

"I guess you're right." King Kai grumbled reluctantly. "But I still don't like the idea of a Saiyan being the strongest being in the universe. I think we've seen enough destruction from their bloodthirsty race."

"Hey!" Krillin glared at King Kai. " _Goku_ was no monster! He was a hero on Earth. Don't count the Saiyans out yet."

"You haven't seen Goku in nearly two years." King Kai said. "That much time in space, surrounded by people like Frieza and the Saiyans, changes a man."

Krillin pursed his lips and lowered his head in thought. Everything he was hearing about Goku lately seemed to suggest he was a ruthless killer now. That just wasn't the Goku he knew. No matter what happened to Goku, Krillin would never be able to think of him any differently than his reliable, naive best friend. Even so, he knew Saiyan cruelty enough now to fear Vegeta's succession in Frieza's place. And that powerful Super Saiyan was just as likely to target the Earth as Frieza was.

* * *

Frieza furrowed his brows as Vegeta looked down his nose at him, suddenly sporting a new hair color, a golden glow, and eerie green eyes. Frieza just couldn't understand it. It looked like a transformation, but Saiyans transformed into giant apes, not...whatever this was.

Vegeta laughed, opening and closing his fist as he marveled at his opening palm. Frieza knew he was enjoying the sensation of his power. Somehow, the change had boosted the monkey's strength. It was like he was a... _no_. That couldn't be it.

"What is this?" Frieza finally grunted in frustration.

"Don't you see, Frieza?" Vegeta chuckled. "It's your worst nightmare-the legend finally brought to life."

"Legend?" Frieza scoffed, before gasping in realization. "No! Don't tell me-"

"Oh, yes!" Vegeta laughed and stepped forward. "I have ascended. I am a Super Saiyan!"

Frieza grit his teeth, feeling the need to back away as Vegeta took another step forward, though he refused to cower to a Saiyan. Frieza braced himself in place instead, but he couldn't hide the terrorized expression on his face. If Vegeta truly was a Super Saiyan, Frieza realized he might actually be outmatched for the first time since his dear father beat him as a child.

Before Frieza could fully comprehend what was happening, a blast of pain surged through his gut, dropping him to his knees as his face contorted in pain. It wasn't until his knees collided with the hard terrain that he saw Vegeta there, standing over him with a wicked smile and his fist extended in front of Frieza's face.

Frieza sputtered and spewed blood, glaring and snarling as he shakily forced himself to his feet. His body was not at all ready for such a painful blow. Vegeta was suddenly unbelievably strong.

"Th-this isn't possible." Frieza heaved a breath as he held his stomach and stood on wobbly knees, glaring at the arrogant Saiyan. "Where...where did you get this power?!"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "The power was always there, Frieza. I just needed to access it. I guess I have _you_ to thank for pushing me to reach my true potential."

As Vegeta laughed loudly, his leg flew at Frieza, so fast that it was impossible to dodge or even block. Frieza screamed as he flew backwards from the impact, his eyes wide in shock. Vegeta was just as fast as he was strong. Frieza wasn't even able to react to that kick! Frieza growled in fury as he flipped in the air, forcing himself to a mid-air stop to glare and bare his teeth at the arrogant Saiyan prince.

"Frieza," Vegeta smirked and inclined his chin towards the tyrant. "This fight has become one-sided, it seems. Go ahead and give me your best shot."

As Vegeta opened his arms wide in invitation, Frieza sneered, his teeth grating together as he eyed the impudent brat. Of all the Saiyans he could have kept as his pet, he had to choose Prince Vegeta, spending years raising him and caring for him, fostering his strength, only for it to lead to this outcome which he feared all his life.

Frieza growled as he alternately extended both hands towards Vegeta, firing a round of small ki blasts at the blasted, infuriatingly impudent monkey. He watched in pure shock as Vegeta dodged every blast with ease, even at such close range.

Finally, Frieza screamed in fury. "Why can't I hit you?!"

 _BOOM._

At the sight of Vegeta taking a direct hit from his final blast, Frieza felt the tension leave his face as his deeply scowling lips turned up in a smirk. However, as fast as that victorious impact happened, his victory was taken from him as Vegeta slowly turned to face him, smiling mockingly and appearing unharmed by the blast.

"What?!"

"Is that the best you've got, Frieza?" Vegeta chuckled. "Keep sending blasts like that, and I'll allow you to hit me all day. Admit it! You are nothing compared to me now!"

Frieza gawked at the monkey, at his prideful show of power. Every aspect of Vegeta's body language was gloating. Powerful and amazing as he suddenly was, his fatal flaw was blaringly obvious, and Frieza intended to take full advantage. He would not lose this fight, not to a Saiyan.

Frieza let out a low chuckle as he wiped a smear of blood from his lip. "Oh, Vegeta." "You may be more powerful now, but you underestimate me. The true depth of my power escapes you. I think it's time you experience the ultimate Frieza - one hundred percent of my true power." As Vegeta's eyes widened in alarm, Frieza snickered to himself. "Super Saiyan or not, you never really had a chance to beat me. It's going to be over for you, just like the other monkey traitors."

Vegeta scoffed. "Like I'd give _you_ a chance to reach full power and defeat me. If this were anyone else, I might be intrigued. But in your case, I lost my patience long ago." Vegeta glowered. "I'm going to kill you now, Frieza."

Frieza gasped as Vegeta lunged for him again, this time phasing out of sight and reappearing behind Frieza to land a punch in his lower back. Frieza growled and turned to punch the Saiyan in the side, gathering all his strength and concentration as he fought to gather more power. He needed to get Vegeta away from him, just to buy enough time to achieve his power. When he managed to get a hit in on the Saiyan, who looked impressed to be knocked back by that powerful punch, Frieza knew it was working. He could feel his power escalating.

"Just a little longer." Frieza smirked as Vegeta hesitated, eyeing him curiously. "I know you too well, Vegeta. You wouldn't miss your chance to see the greatest being in the universe at his full power. This is your chance to defeat me at my best and reclaim your wounded pride as the Prince of all Saiyans."

Vegeta pursed his lips, holding back from another attack. He was clearly intrigued. Frieza's smirk grew as he grunted and growled, focusing all his energy into increasing his power, which surged around him. He didn't know how long the monkey prince would take the bait, but he wasn't willing to push his luck. He would use this opportunity to its fullest, while the stupid, overconfident Super Saiyan stood in awe. Predictable Saiyans. It was no wonder their race was nearly extinct, given their outright stupidity. This battle would go to the smarter fighter this time, which as usual, was not the Saiyan.

* * *

"He's an idiot!" Dodoria growled as he slammed the scouter against the table.

Bulma shot to her feet, staring at the shattered, translucent pieces of the busted scouter, before glaring at Dodoria. Dodoria didn't care if the stupid scouter was broken. He already knew exactly how this battle was going to end up, seeing how Vegeta was behaving.

"You!" Chi-Chi growled from behind him, before he felt one of the horns on his head tugged violently towards the ground. "Look what you did! Now how will we know what happens?!"

"Chi-Chi!" Yamcha yelled, just before Dodoria's horn was released in time to avoid his chin smacking hard against the ground.

Dodoria growled as he turned to glare at the flailing woman in Yamcha's arms. Damn, she had a temper. And a strong grip for a weak little human. Only Goku could be married to that woman.

Piccolo snorted in amusement at the scene, before shifting his eyes to meet Dodoria's. "What do you mean, 'he's an idiot'?"

"Vegeta." Dodoria scoffed. "Stupid, arrogant Saiyans. He _had_ that fight! He transformed into a Super Saiyan! He was going to kill Frieza!"

Gohan's face lit up in relief and Dodoria rolled his eyes. He hated being the one to squash that unfettered optimism, but someone had to break some reality to the cheerful child. Dodoria had no idea how a child could be so uplifting at a time like this.

"He's not going to kill him now. _Now_ ," Dodoria snorted and crossed his arms, "Vegeta's the one who's going to die."

"What?!" Bulma shrieked before her posture deflated.

"How come?" Yamcha asked.

Dodoria growled in frustration. "Because he's a Saiyan, that's why! They're all power-hungry idiots!"

"What is that supposed to _mean_?" Piccolo growled impatiently.

"He's letting Frieza reach his full power." Dodoria shook his head. "No one's ever seen Frieza's full power, not in all the years I've worked for him."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "So you don't think Vegeta can win, even now that he's a Super Saiyan?"

Dodoria frowned and shook his head. No one could defeat Frieza now, he was sure of it. He didn't want to be the next to die, but with Goku and soon Vegeta gone, he was certain Frieza's enemies on Earth would be next. He turned a hopeful eye to Bulma and Yamcha. "What about those Dragonballs? Didn't you say they can save the Earth or some garbage like that?"

Bulma blinked and exchanged a look with Yamcha, who looked temporarily stupefied by the question. "Well," Bulma said, "it might work, but-"

Gohan's usually cheerful visage suddenly turned adamant and determined. "But what about my dad?"

"What about him?" Dodoria asked.

"If we use the Dragonballs for what you want to do…" Gohan trailed off, furrowing his brows, "well, then, my dad…we can't-"

"Gohan's right." Bulma sighed sadly. "We should use the Dragonballs to wish Goku back."

Dodoria blinked, before incredulously processing the Earthlings' decision and the looks of agreement from all the others surrounding him. "You think _Goku's_ life is what we need to worry about now?! He's already dead! We're about to join him if we don't do something!"

As Gohan glared defiantly up at Dodoria, Bulma planted her hands firmly on her hips. "Well, for now, we'll hold off on summoning Shenron until we know how this fight turns out. Oh, wait!" Bulma snorted with a roll of her eyes and then glared at Dodoria. "We _won't_ know how this turns out, now that some big idiot broke the only communication we have with outer space!"

Dodoria snarled, enjoying the way the woman shrank in fear. "Watch who you call an idiot."

"Bulma," Piccolo said, "can you fix the scouter?"

Bulma removed her gaze from Dodoria to grimace at the shattered pieces of scouter lens remaining on the table. "I doubt it."

"Try."

Dodoria gave a curt nod of agreement to the Namekian, the only other being in that room that wasn't getting on his last nerve by being completely blind to the truth. At least Piccolo knew how serious this was, and Dodoria could count on him to make the hard decisions when the time came. As far as the scouter went, Dodoria could care less whether the woman could fix it or not. He already knew Vegeta was going to lose. All Dodoria wanted to know was how much time they had before Frieza would come.

* * *

A/N: Some of you might hate the fact that Goku died and Vegeta was the first to reach SS. Hopefully, some of you love it. It wasn't an easy choice, but like I mentioned in the last chapter, Frieza had to kill somebody, and that left the choice between Vegeta and Goku. The situation lent itself to Vegeta's transformation being triggered, but nothing could have triggered Goku's transformation in this situation. He wouldn't have cared enough if Vegeta was killed, and he was on the stronger end of their rivalry already, so no amount of frustration would have driven him to transform the way Vegeta was driven to. But this is not to steal Goku's glory. There is still much more to come. I have to admit, Goku is my favorite character, and when I first started this story, I never would have imagined that I'd make Vegeta become a SS before him and fight Frieza, while Goku died in this battle. But I'm happy with the outcome.

With the start of a new school year, I am expecting to be incredibly busy for a while. I want you all to know it may be a while before I post another chapter, but I will be working hard to get the next one out with all my free time. Work takes precedence, but I already know what I intend for the next chapter, so it's just a matter of finding the time to write it out. Thank you all for your support!


	33. Fighting To Win

A/N: I know I said it would be a while, but turns out I was unexpectedly asked to resign from my latest teaching position. So, I am celebrating my new freedom by finishing a new chapter of this story. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

A line of cloud-like essences was moving along slowly, traveling a long bridge towards a cherry wood desk. As a purple man in uniform and glasses moved down the line, jotting down Information on the waiting spirits, the woman sitting at that desk at the end of the line, with pink skin, pointed ears, and delicate facial features tapped her pencil impatiently.

She huffed through her pouty red lips and rubbed her hand through her tousled black curls as she perused the lengthy tome of a list on her desk. "Approved."

The white puff of a cloud whirred past Ennu's desk, towards the doorway leading to a sunny, promising part of the afterlife.

As the man in glasses finished making his round to return to the desk, he grunted in surprise. "Wow. Haven't seen one of these in a while. I almost thought they were extinct."

The woman looked up from her long list to see her servant studying the clipboard in his hands. "What is it, Moz?"

His eyes never leaving the clipboard, a smile lit Moz's face. "Wow!"

"Moz!"

Moz grimaced at the woman's yell. "Excuse me, Queen Ennu."

The queen sneered. She was about to reprimand the servant for being so secretive about his rare find, but before she could, her eye caught a word on the page of her list that made her do a double take. "A Saiyan?"

"Yes, your highness." Moz chuckled. "It seems we have our first in...about thirty or forty years. This one's really uni-"

"Send him below."

Ennu had already made the decision before Moz's last remark, though now she was curious about what he was about to say before she cut him off. All the Saiyans who'd ever crossed her desk were barbaric, violent killers. Judging by the record in front of her, this Kakarot wasn't any different.

"Aw," Moz's shoulders slumped, "I was hoping to get his autograph. Maybe if I ask him _before_ I tell him he's going down be-"

"Autograph?"

"Yes, my queen." Moz met her dark-eyed, skeptical gaze, raising his brows past the rim of his glasses. "Didn't you know? He died fighting Lord Frieza. He's been the first to challenge-I mean _really_ challenge- the tyrant. Aside from Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans, who's still alive and whose autograph I may never have, he's been the only one to come so close to defeating him. He-"

Ennu gasped. "Are you talking about the fight happening below us right now? He's the one who died in that fight?"

"Yes, Queen Ennu."

"I want to meet this Saiyan. Bring him to the front of the line."

A chorus of groans rang from the nearby cluster of spirits who had already waited so long to get to the front of the line. But Ennu didn't care. One glare from her and they all went silent. This was her domain, her office, and if they didn't like her decisions now, they really weren't going to like her final decision when they finally had their chances to face her.

Moz left with a respectful bow, retreating towards the end of the line while Ennu was left to rub her chin pensively. Saiyans did have a tendency to show defiance, but even they should have known defying Lord Frieza would be deadly. She'd lost count of how many souls she'd seen who died at his hands or under his orders. She had to know what drew these most recent Saiyans so close to succeeding where everyone else had utterly failed.

When two silhouettes finally approached her desk, moving frantically past the stilled line of fluffy souls, Ennu peered at them beneath the hoods of her lashes. "Is this him?"

"Yes, your highness." Moz said with a wave towards the man with wayward spikes of black hair and a muscular physique, like all Saiyans she'd seen before.

The Saiyan was scratching his head and looking around, baffled, as if he was suddenly seeing Otherworld. Oh, yes. That would very likely be the case, as he would have been just as disembodied as all those other waiting souls before Ennu's summoning.

Ennu sighed. "Are you the Saiyan called," she peered at her paperwork, "Goku, otherwise known as Kakarot?"

The Saiyan blinked, then smiled and nodded. "I prefer Goku."

"Alright, Goku." Ennu crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a sly smile. "You Saiyans are known for being pigheaded. But I want to know what possessed you to-"

"Am I dead?"

Ennu scoffed and blinked. "Yes. You're dead."

"And you are addressing the Great Queen Ennu." Moz scolded, though his chastising tone went unnoticed by the brash Saiyan.

"Damn." Goku crossed his arms and pouted, his mannerisms not at all reflecting the reaction Ennu would expect to see from a Saiyan who'd just realized the fact of his death. "So, what's this place?"

"This is where Queen Ennu judges you and determines your fate in the afterlife."

Ennu smirked at the Saiyan. "Surprised you're not in hell already?"

Goku shrugged. "I guess I never really thought of what I should expect. I was just so caught up with fighting Friez-"

At the moment Goku's eyes went wide and he reached frantically for Ennu, Moz and Ennu exchanged a glance. Ennu quickly skirted out of her seat just in time to avert the Saiyan's grasp, feeling grateful that the hefty piece of furnishing was there as a buffer.

Goku gasped and dismissed his reach for Ennu as he pushed off her desk to stand upright. "The fight! Can you tell me what happened? Is Vegeta still alive?"

"Calm down." Moz snorted.

Goku calmed, if only slightly, when Ennu inhaled to prepare her answer. "I only know _of_ the fight. We cannot watch from here. There's only one person up here who can see the events as they unfold. But I do say it has been a popular topic of gossip for us here. How did you become so much stronger than the Saiyans who have come to me before you?"

"I don't know anything about them." Goku glared. "I don't care, either. The only Saiyans I care to hear about are the ones that are still alive."

Ennu narrowed her eyes. "You're a rude little mortal, you know that?"

Goku's glare softened as his lips turned up into a smirk. "I guess us Saiyans are known for that, too."

Ennu pursed her lips tightly. Her blood was practically boiling because of how utterly disrespectful this Saiyan was being, even after having the honor of being called to the front of her desk.

She hated Frieza for all the stacks of paperwork he'd caused her over the years, though. And she still really wanted to know how the Saiyans planned on succeeding in defeating him, if that was even possible. Ennu looked up, meeting the Saiyan's dark eyes and seeing his resolve that seemed unbreakable. She supposed she'd have to answer some of his questions, if she wanted hers to be answered.

Ennu stood by her chair, gliding her finger over the pages of her lengthy list as she sought a specific name. "The other Saiyan is not on my list yet. That means he's still alive."

"Yes!" Goku beamed and clenched his fists. "Maybe he did it! I have to know!"

Ennu raised a brow. "Did what?"

"Transformed into a Super Saiyan! It has to be the way to beat Frieza!"

"You really think a Saiyan can defeat Frieza?" Ennu shook her head. "So many have tried. Even your King didn't stand a chance against him."

"None of _them_ were Super Saiyans."

"You keep mentioning this 'Super Saiyan'." Moz said with a considerate frown. "I feel like I've heard that somewhere before."

"Yes, Moz." Ennu nodded. "I've seen the legend with my own eyes. The transformation was quite a sight to behold."

"Oh, man!" Goku grumbled. "I'm missing it! If Vegeta's fighting Frieza right now, I need to see it! How can I see it?"

"You can't." Moz said.

"Yes, I can!" Goku's voice rose an octave as he narrowed his eyes incredulously at Moz. "Ennu just said-"

" _Queen_ Ennu!"

"-that someone up here can watch."

Crossing her arms tightly, Ennu growled in annoyance at the Saiyan. "I never said he could _watch_. I said he could see. And King Kai is not within reach of anyone to whom I have not granted access to heaven."

"King Kai?"

Ennu rolled her eyes. "He is king of this quadrant of the Galaxy, but you don't have to worry about that. You won't be seeing him, or the fight. It seems speaking to you was a waste of my time. I need to send you to hell now for your crimes."

"Wait!" Goku glared and smacked his hands on the desk before Ennu could dismiss him. "I can't let this go! If Frieza defeats Vegeta, he'll go to Earth and kill everyone there because of me. I have to see him killed, no matter what."

Ennu shook her head. "You and your bloodthirsty race. Such a disappointment." She directed a pointed glare at Moz. "And I thought you were supposed to be unique."

"I'm not bloodthirsty." Goku grit his teeth at Ennu. "I just know what a monster Frieza is, and that killing him is the only way to stop him."

Ennu frowned and her eyes softened. "Is that truly the reason you want Frieza dead? To protect the population of an entirely different planet than the one that bore you?"

Goku gave a firm nod. "Yes."

"If you're so concerned about the people of Earth," Ennu narrowed her eyes perceptively at Goku, "you must be having some doubts in your chosen champion. Even if the Saiyan Prince defeats Frieza, that man has quite a dark history himself. You can't expect him to protect your planet, or even feel that the universe would be safe from his domination if he's become so powerful."

Goku clenched his jaw and met Ennu's astute gaze with understanding in his eyes. "That's why I need to watch what happens next."

Ennu crossed her arms. "Not just to see Frieza butchered?"

"That'll be fun to watch, too."

"My, you are a Saiyan." Ennu smirked at Goku's mischievous grin. "For a minute there, you seemed too noble to be one."

"Queen Ennu," Moz cut in politely, "I hate to interrupt, but the line is getting quite backed up. It seems we just had a meteor blast that wiped out a large population on Planet Bin."

Ennu sighed and retook the seat behind her desk. "Yes, yes. Next!"

Moz gasped and looked to Goku. "What about-"

Goku grasped Moz's shoulder tightly, stopping him from speaking while Ennu addressed the next being awaiting judgement. Moz gasped and grimaced at the Saiyan.

"This King Kai," Goku said, "is he strong?"

Moz blinked. "Y-yes. Maybe he's not much compared to _you_ , but he's very powerful."

Goku grinned. "Great!"

Before Moz could respond, Goku was placing two fingers to his forehead and narrowing his eyes in concentration. Ennu cast a furtive glance in that direction and smirked as the Saiyan disappeared before hers and Moz's eyes.

"Queen Ennu! The Saiyan!"

Ennu finished with her latest soul before shifting in her chair to face Moz. "What? Did you lose him, Moz?"

Moz grimaced, his face burning red. "I'm sorry, your highness. He just dis-"

"It's fine, Moz." Ennu rolled her eyes. "I knew he would do that."

"But-but-" Moz stuttered, "he didn't have approval."

"Sure he did." Ennu smiled slyly to herself. "After all, mine is all the approval he needs, isn't it?"

"But, Queen Ennu-"

"There's something about that Saiyan. If King Kai feels the need to send him away, then I'll deal with him." Ennu's smile widened, before her eyes set on the next puffy soul approaching her desk. "And what have we here? A Binian killed by a meteor. What a surprise."

While Ennu resumed tending to the line of souls at her desk, Goku materialized in front of an unsuspecting, pink-skinned being in purple robes, hoop earrings, and white sunglasses.

Popcorn flew from the bowl in the Kai's hands as he screamed. "Ah! What are you doing here?"

"King Kai?" Goku asked.

The Kai's wide red lips were agape as his squared chin bobbed up and down in wordless answer.

"I'm Goku. I want you to show me Frieza and Vegeta's fight you've been watching."

King Kai blinked, then looked at his scattered popcorn littering the ground of his tiny planet, then looked at the halo-adorned Saiyan standing in front of him. "H-How did you...?"

At the insistent look from the Saiyan, King Kai shook his head in dismissal of what he was going to ask. The fight, which he had been watching before the Saiyan's rude interruption, was just getting to a pivotal point. He had to get back to it right away. He could question Goku later.

Growling in irritation, King Kai indicated his broad shoulder with a wave of his hand. "Grab on. But don't talk to me while I'm watching this! You already spoiled my popcorn with your intrusion."

Goku bared his teeth in a wide grin as he latched a hand around the tall Kai's shoulder. What he saw happening on the planet below would be perhaps one of the best fights he or King Kai would ever witness.

* * *

So this was Frieza's true power. After all the years of wondering just how deep the well of Frieza's power ran, Vegeta realized that his younger self could never have fathomed Frieza possessing this much power.

However, he was a new Vegeta now. He had reclaimed his title as the strongest Saiyan alive; he had reached the goal for which he'd strived since the days when he was a young boy besting Frieza's strongest adult soldiers in battle. Although Frieza's full power was higher than he could have ever expected, Vegeta knew he would pulverize that disgusting reptile.

Frieza hovered there, a few feet away, the tension leaving his body as he raised his chin and brought his shoulders back, as if he expected Vegeta to whimper and cower at the power he now displayed. Vegeta spat to the side.

Then, with a toss of his head, Vegeta laughed. It felt so good to laugh in Frieza's face. How long he'd wanted to be able to do that! After all the times he was forced to bow and revere to that disgusting creature, he was finally free to react genuinely, showing the tyrant how he truly felt about him.

Frieza was a joke. A cruel joke, who took everything that could have mattered to Vegeta, aside from his pride and his strength, which Vegeta grew to learn were the only things that mattered in life. That was the only lesson Frieza ever taught him that he felt was worth a damn. Too bad for Frieza, though, that Vegeta had learned that lesson so well. Now that he had the power and his pride intact, he sure as hell didn't care about anything else. He would kill Frieza without an ounce of remorse.

Frieza met Vegeta's gaze, growling his fury at the prince's arrogant, mocking laughter. "You dare to laugh at me?!"

Vegeta raised an amused brow. "Who _else_ could I be laughing at?"

"Why, you!" Frieza's irate screech was followed by such an aggressive move towards Vegeta that he seemed to disappear, even to Vegeta's Super Saiyan eyes.

Vegeta grunted in surprise as he lunged backwards, just barely avoiding the punch Frieza sent for his face. His brows lowered in determination as he countered with a right hook, making enough of an impact to visibly hurt the tyrant, though Frieza was only temporarily stunned before he came at Vegeta with another jab of his fist.

As the punches, kicks, and tail lashings continued being exchanged, the two powerful beings traveled at lightning speeds through the air of the planet, having no regard for their surroundings as they attempted to harm one another more than they were being hurt. The fight seemed evenly matched, though, as the pair separated to catch their breath.

"Damn!" Vegeta cleared the drip of blood from his nose caused by one of Frieza's more direct punches. "Maybe letting him power up wasn't the best decision."

"No," Frieza appeared behind Vegeta with a sly smile, "it wasn't."

As Frieza's interlocked fists pummeled down on his back, catapulting him to the ground, Vegeta screamed in pain. An explosive bang surrounded him as he was crushed into the hard terrain of the planet which was taking a beating nearly as badly as he and Frieza. Vegeta climbed to his knees, reaching out his senses to find where Frieza had gone. He knew another attack was inevitable right now. He just had to know where...

"There!" Vegeta yelled as he turned to blast to his left, where Frieza appeared just in time to be hit in the abdomen by the surge of ki.

"Vegeta!" Frieza yelled as he careened into a distant wall, falling along with the crumbling foundation before snapping his head up to sneer at the Saiyan who was strutting towards him.

"I think letting you power up was a very _good_ decision, Frieza." Vegeta smiled as he stood within an inch of the tyrant groveling on all fours. "After all, this wouldn't even be a challenge at the level you were at. Then where's the fun in killing you?"

"You think you're going to kill _me_?!" Frieza shrieked.

"I certainly have no intentions of letting this fight turn out any other way."

* * *

Frieza lowered his head and slammed his fist into the ground, making a dent in the earth before his eyes widened in realization. Even if Vegeta was too powerful as a Super Saiyan to defeat, Frieza would not be the one to die in this fight. Not on this worthless little planet. Not today. And certainly not at the hands of a Saiyan.

When Vegeta's chuckling drew him to look up and meet the prince's eyes, a spark of defiance lit Frieza's features. He placed both palms against the ground, intent on ending this fight in another way-one where the great Super Saiyan wouldn't even be capable of defending himself.

He raised his voice and his power as his eyes locked intently on Vegeta's cold, chilling green eyes. " _You're_ the one who will die!"

Before he could release the blast into the ground, towards the core of the planet, a flash of pain ceased his actions. It wasn't until he was flying straight into the air that he recovered from the daze and realized that it was the upward thrust of Vegeta's foot that had caused his pain.

Frieza clenched his fists in front of himself and screamed as he used all his effort to stop himself from spinning out of control towards Frieza Planet #209's atmosphere.

This was impossible. A Saiyan, of all people, was giving him trouble. No one should have been able to match his strength. This was why he tried to exterminate those pesky monkeys. He had almost succeeded, too. Just one left, and he would have been done. It was too bad this last one was the one to give him the greatest trouble. With a determined growl, Frieza glared at the glowing Saiyan below, raising his hands over his head as he locked eyes with Vegeta.

Vegeta's chin lowered, as did his brows, determined and focused, while his eyes remained locked on Frieza's growing mass of supercharged ki. Frieza didn't care what Vegeta thought he could do. He would attack the little princeling with everything he had and finally be done with him. Baring his teeth, Frieza manipulated his massive ki blast, thrusting it with full force towards Vegeta. As he screamed and released the blast, Frieza felt a sense of relief wash over him. If this blast didn't kill Vegeta, it would certainly weaken him. And then Frieza would have nothing to fear. The way things were going, as it traveled directly for the hovering, unmoving Prince, Frieza was certain that his attack would make contact. Knowing _that_ was all the assurance he needed to take a deep breath and settle as he waited for the pretty explosion, and then the settling dust which would reveal the results of his efforts.

The planet shook and protested the shockwaves of the blast swallowing up the impudent super Saiyan, while Frieza laughed. The universe would be wonderfully cleansed of any repugnant Saiyan presence.

Frieza nearly chuckled to himself with that thought, though when he looked down, he tensed apprehensively. Down below, the crater had formed that was certain to be Vegeta's grave. Frieza waited, peering suspiciously in the open air for any sign of Vegeta emerging from the debris of the devastating attack. After a few moments of silence, without sensing any movement from his enemy, Frieza finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Vegeta was dead. _He_ would be the victor and keep his throne as the most powerful, undisputable ruler of the universe. But as his eye caught something rising from the sizzling crater, he gasped. He peered more closely towards the ground, grimacing as his eyes recognized the last thing he wanted to see.

A chuckle echoed from below. "Do you really think you can kill me that easily, Frieza? Let me show you the true power of a Super Saiyan!"

As the faint glow that was surrounding Vegeta brightened with a surge of power, the prince launched, whirring loudly through the air. Frieza shook his head fervently in denial, until Vegeta's head crashed agonizingly hard and fast into his chest. Spewing blood from his mouth, Frieza cringed at the pain. He knew as he returned the prince with a blow of his own, that this was far from over. From what he was seeing from Vegeta, this would be more difficult than Frieza wanted to admit. But he wanted it to be over. He needed to end this.

And now!

* * *

A/N: In case it wasn't clear with his description and the scenario, "King Kai" is actually South Kai. I know that leaves us with two characters called "King Kai", but that's really how he would be called, seeing that DBZ's "King Kai" is actually the North Kai, but in his quadrant, everyone calls him "King Kai." I won't write in ways that will make the two characters confused, so it shouldn't be a problem. I just couldn't fake another name for him. Goku will get his moment, everyone. Don't worry.


	34. The Fight Is Over

King Kai's antennae twitched, prompting the deity to stand from the table with a grunt. "Oh. What do _you_ want?"

Krillin glanced up from his meal along with the others, who ceased their talking and eating to stare curiously at the irritated God. It was unprecedented, him leaving a meal so abruptly. And aside from the twitch of King Kai's antennae, Krillin didn't see any cause for his alarm.

As King Kai walked away, he suddenly became conversational. "Really? He's there? Well, that's surprising. I'm sure the Earthlings will be excited when I tell them."

As King Kai continued speaking, apparently to himself, Krillin raised a brow at the others. "You guys, I think King Kai is bugging out."

Master Roshi rubbed the back of his neck. "The stress of worrying about the fate of the universe must be getting to him. Things aren't looking too good right now."

Chiaotzu slumped. "Poor King Kai!"

Krillin stood from the table, but hesitated. "Uh...King Kai, you okay?"

King Kai's head whirled in their direction. "Would you three be quiet?! I'm trying to have a conversation here!"

The three fighters grimaced, along with Bubbles and Gregory, who exchanged a glance with one another and shrugged.

"Now, what _I_ want to know is," King Kai turned and resumed his conversation, "how did he get there? Shouldn't he be...well, you know..."

"Ah!" Master Roshi chuckled. "King Kai is speaking to someone telepathically, like when he talked to Bulma and the others on Earth!"

"Oh." Krillin furrowed his brows and rubbed his chin, peering at King Kai. "So...who do you think he's talking to?"

"People on Earth again?" Chiaotzu said.

Master Roshi shook his head. "No. I'm sure he'd want to let us talk to them. Besides, whoever he's talking to contacted _him_. I don't think anyone on Earth right now can do that."

Krillin crossed his arms. "But who-"

"Hey, everybody!" King Kai called, beaming as he scurried to join the others. "I have some good news!"

"Is it," Master Roshi asked, "about the fight?"

"No! Well, yes. But I have other good news. It's about Goku!"

Krillin blinked. "Goku?"

"He's with South Kai." King Kai chuckled and rubbed his brow. "I would say your friend is lucky to be there, but then again, when you're with _him_ , things tend to go South."

As King Kai giggled and snorted at his own joke, Krillin contorted his brows in confusion. It might've been good news for Goku that he didn't end up...elsewhere in the afterlife, like Master Roshi and King Kai thought he might, but Krillin had yet to see what was good about this news for _them_. He still couldn't see Goku. He couldn't talk to him. And the universe was still in the hands of either Vegeta or Frieza! Wait. Maybe he could at least talk to Goku. If King Kai could talk to South Kai, he should be able to let Krillin speak to Goku for a minute!

Krillin gasped. "King Kai!"

"Can we speak to Goku?" Master Roshi interrupted.

"Not now!" King Kai snapped. "Later!"

"But-" Krillin uttered.

"King Kai!" Chiaotzu groaned.

"I said _later_!" King Kai screamed, ending everyone's outbursts.

As King Kai huffed and composed himself with a deep breath and straightening of his robes, Krillin frowned to himself, then exchanged a glance with Master Roshi.

He couldn't hide his disappointment. It had been so long since the last time he spoke to Goku, and they didn't exactly have a pleasant goodbye the last time they parted.

King Kai grumbled, "You people expect all this special treatment. It's like you've all forgotten that you're dead. You can talk to your friend _after_ this fight's over!"

Krillin grunted in realization. The fight! It was still happening. He needed to know how it would turn out. If Goku was willing to die so Vegeta could defeat Frieza, then Krillin knew the Earth would be in big trouble if the Saiyan didn't win the fight. Anyone capable of forcing _Goku_ to kill innocent people had to be a real monster. Though Krillin was less than thrilled about the idea of another Saiyan returning to Earth with no Goku there to keep him in check, Krillin knew Vegeta's victory was the better option.

King Kai turned his back on them again. "Goku's busy watching the fight with South Kai now, like I should be."

Master Roshi grunted. "How is the fight going?"

King Kai threw his hands up in exasperation. "How would I know? I'm too busy talking to you people! Either finish your meal or resume your training right now so I can concentrate." After a moment of pause, he glanced over his shoulder, adding, "Last I checked, though, the fight was intensifying and seemed to be evenly matched. Frieza has never been challenged like this before."

As King Kai lifted his chin towards the sky, Krillin felt a veil of seriousness fall over him, which he could tell everyone else was feeling, too. However this fight turned out, the people on Earth would have to be prepared to defend themselves when it was over. Krillin wished he could be down there to help them. He wondered how Yamcha, Tien, Gohan, even Piccolo and maybe Yajirobe would fare down there. Even with the addition of an alien from space (who Krillin found as untrustworthy as Goku's Super Saiyan comrade) Krillin still worried that the Earth wouldn't survive an attack from either powerful being involved in that monumental fight.

* * *

"Ah, yes." Dr. Brief's mustache rose in a slow smile as his brows furrowed in concentration. "That should do it, Bulma."

"Yeah," Bulma sighed, rubbing the back of her hand across her forehead as she leaned back in her chair. "It's almost fixed. We just need to tighten that last screw."

When his other friends' and his mother's face lit with anticipation, Gohan couldn't help smiling as well. With his dad dead and both Vegeta and Frieza so powerful, there was still a long way to go before anything could be considered good again, but for now, at least they would know what was happening. The only people Gohan didn't see smiling in relief were Piccolo and Dodoria. He didn't want to be rude and ask about it, but he really wanted to know why they weren't as excited as everybody else.

Bulma pushed towards Dr. Brief the small device they had been tinkering with for the past hours. "Thanks for your help, Dad. I could've been here for _days_ fixing that piece of junk myself."

Dr. Brief grabbed a screwdriver and practically pressed his eyes against the tiny device as he went to work again, mumbling, "no worries, Dear." He stopped and blinked. "Now what does this little contraption do again?"

"It's not a piece of junk." Dodoria stated flatly, glaring down at Bulma. "It's a _scouter_."

Dr. Brief strained his neck to blink up at Dodoria's tall frame. "A what?"

Dodoria scoffed and turned his glare to the older scientist. "Is it fixed yet or not, Brainiac?"

"Hey!" Bulma snatched the device from the table as Dodoria began reaching for it. "You've got _some_ way of saying thanks! Do you know how hard we just worked to fix this thing? And do I _need_ to remind you whose fault it is that we've been in the dark on what's going on in outer space for the past five hours?"

Dodoria scoffed, crossing his arms as he stubbornly turned away from Bulma.

Yamcha stepped past the grumpy alien, smiling at Bulma. "Hey, you should check it out now, Bulma! Let's find out what's happening!"

Puar nodded vigorously. "Yeah!"

Gohan smiled as he watched Piccolo make his move, clearly taking that as his cue to extend his hand expectantly towards Bulma. "Let me do it."

Bulma smiled smugly at Dodoria, who glanced over his shoulder as she placed the scouter in Piccolo's palm, though she flinched and trembled nervously when her skin made contact with Piccolo's. Gohan furrowed his brows, bewildered by the silly display. Bulma shouldn't have been nervous around Piccolo. He was a good person. Somehow, though, it seemed like Gohan was the only one who knew that. Sure, Piccolo could be harsh and a little scary sometimes, but was he really so bad that everyone else had to be afraid of him?

Watching Piccolo affix the scouter to his ear, Gohan cocked his head. Wearing such an alien device over his glaring eye and pointed ear, Piccolo did actually look more scary than usual. When the scouter beeped and lit with a display of flashing symbols, Gohan's eyes widened. The suddenness of the noise and flashing really took him by surprise. But it seemed that everyone else was just as absorbed in watching Piccolo now as he was.

The pressure of his mother's hand on his shoulder helped Gohan feel at ease as she squeezed gently. The room went silent as everyone stared at Piccolo, awaiting his report. Piccolo frowned with his lips sealed, his distant gaze and serious demeanor making it difficult for Gohan to tell what he might be hearing. Piccolo was definitely hearing something, though, given the look of concentration on his face.

Finally, a smirk slowly spread across Piccolo's face.

Dodoria huffed irritably. "Well?"

"It's working."

"Duh!" Bulma blurted. "What _we_ want to know is what's happening in space!"

Gohan could tell by that expression on Piccolo's face that whatever he was hearing was good news. He didn't need Piccolo to explain what he was hearing over the scouter. Gohan was already relieved, suspecting they wouldn't need to worry about Frieza coming to Earth, so he smiled. He even laughed quietly to himself before feeling his mother's grip on his shoulder soften in response.

As he and the others heard Gohan's laughter and saw his smile, Yamcha frowned at Piccolo, then Gohan. "Piccolo?...Gohan?"

Piccolo met Yamcha's gaze, reaching a hand down to pat lightly on top of Gohan's shaggy hair which had fortunately grown since the days of that hideous haircut. Gohan's smile widened. Just by that simple gesture, he knew that Piccolo understood him.

While his mother choked out a questioning sound, Bulma stepped forward, cocking her head at Piccolo. "W-what's happened? Is that Frieza guy dead?"

"No." Piccolo snorted. "Not by a long shot. But Vegeta's still alive and well, too."

Yamcha frowned. "You really think he can win?"

"Uh," Oolong raised a finger in the air, his voice wavering, "do we _want_ Vegeta to win?"

Bulma crossed her arms and frowned. Piccolo narrowed his eyes, thinking deeply about the prospect of Vegeta winning the fight, no doubt. Gohan's grandpa, Yamcha, Puar and Oolong all fell into silence as they exchanged dubious frowns.

Gohan sighed and looked up at his worrisome mother. She was still grabbing a hold of him as if losing physical contact would somehow make her lose him altogether. Gohan frowned deeply as he lowered his gaze to the floor. His dad's death was still weighing on him pretty hard, even if they could revive him later with the Dragonballs. He knew his mom was feeling the same way. But everyone else…they were so focused on the fight.

"All I know is," Dodoria broke the silence loudly, "we sure as hell don't want Frieza to win. I have no idea what this new, more powerful Vegeta is capable of, but I know exactly what Frieza is capable of. Trust me. You don't want that coming to your planet."

Piccolo nodded. "Either way, we have to be prepared. This could end up badly for us if we aren't." He lowered his chin, locking his eyes on Gohan's. "We should get in as much training as we can right now."

Yamcha gasped. "More training? But what about-"

"Bulma will monitor the situation in space for us." Piccolo met Bulma's gaze with a demanding look, causing her to scowl stubbornly back at him.

Knowing Piccolo didn't have the best people skills for this sort of thing, Gohan smiled up at Bulma. "Could you please let us know as soon as you hear anything?"

Gohan knew Bulma would be happy to help if only she was asked nicely. Bulma's mouth fell open in a moment of speechlessness, before she smiled down at Gohan.

She extended her palm to Piccolo to receive the scouter. "Of course I will, Gohan."

"So that's it?" Dodoria snorted and placed his hands on his hips. "We just _train_ and then wait for someone with that level of strength to come and pulverize us? No matter how much we train, we'll never get to Frieza's level!"

Gohan felt his mother's hand fall off his shoulder before she stepped around him, marching towards Dodoria with her hands firmly planted on her hips. "Not with that attitude, you won't! Now get out there and train to defend our planet!"

Dodoria's eyes bulged at the fierceness of Chi-Chi's tone as he took a wary step back. "It's not even _my_ p-"

"And Gohan will have no part in this!"

Piccolo scoffed, baring his teeth at Chi-Chi as he stepped beside Gohan. "Gohan is going to be targeted by Frieza or Vegeta, no matter which one comes here. He needs to train to _defend_ himself!"

Gohan grimaced, feeling his teeth nearly chattering with nerves as he became sandwiched between his mother and mentor. His mother was leaning in domineeringly, preparing for a fight, and Piccolo wasn't backing down.

"He's just a little boy! He shouldn't be involved in these sorts of things! _You_ need to protect him!"

This fight was so unnecessary. Gohan would have gladly taken his mother's side, knowing how frightened he felt of the idea of facing the monster Dodoria always talked about, who despised Saiyans, who could scare someone as mean as Vegeta, who was powerful enough to kill his father, and who enjoyed killing.

"Are you prepared to watch your son die?!"

But Piccolo was right. Being half Saiyan, Frieza would want him dead. Vegeta would probably come after him just for being his father's son. Sitting back and hiding wasn't an option, no matter how young and scared he was. He couldn't go through another Raditz incident all over again. He had to stop being a coward!

"Stop!" Gohan screamed.

He clenched his fists and growled in frustration as everyone else in the room went silent. At least he knew he had their attention. But it was too much now. Ever since Raditz came to Earth, pressure had been building on Gohan's shoulders. If he could have stopped Raditz, Earth's population might've not been destroyed. After their resurrection, it was straight into danger again. There was so much training and fighting to defend the Earth from Frieza's invaders. And all that time he spent listening to Dodoria's horror stories about Frieza and the Planet Trade, being coaxed by Piccolo to be stronger, knowing his father was in danger and he couldn't do anything about it, and then finding out that his father was killed. It was too much.

He was sick of feeling helpless. "I'm _training_ , Mom! I have to fight!"

"Gohan!"

"There's nothing you can do to stop me. I have to do something. If everyone on Earth gets killed again because I didn't help Piccolo and the others, I'd never forgive myself."

Gohan looked up to meet his mother's gaze, feeling guilty as soon as he saw that horrified, defeated look on her face. But he wasn't backing down. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Bulma smiled fondly at Gohan, patting a hand softly on his mother's shoulder. "Your little boy is growing up, Chi-Chi."

"Yeah," Yamcha smiled, "I bet Goku would be proud to hear Gohan talk like that."

"Don't worry, Chi-Chi." Gohan's grandpa stepped forward to smile at his deflated daughter. "If Gohan is anything like Goku, he'll be just fine."

"Then it's settled." Piccolo said abruptly, even though Chi-Chi looked anything but settled. "We'll start training tomorrow."

Gohan took a deep breath, sighing heavily in relief when that conversation was over. He'd never spoken to his mother that way. But still, everything he said was true. He had to be prepared to fight, and not just for himself, but for everyone else on Earth, too. More than anything, he wanted his father to be proud of him when he returned to life. He couldn't wait until that day came, when this would all be behind them.

* * *

Vegeta hovered in the air, panting heavily from all the exertion of his extensive battle with Frieza. It almost seemed the tyrant would never fall. Every blow that Vegeta would deal would be traded by another from Frieza. Every bone in his body was aching, though the pain was easily ignored, especially when Vegeta could see the pain evident on Frieza's face as well. He would take all the pain in the world, if that was the cost of putting Frieza through all this misery.

When Vegeta looked up, Frieza screamed, his eyes twitching with fury as he raised a hand high over his head, forming a red, spinning disc which Vegeta recognized all too well. "I won't lose to a filthy monkey!"

Scoffing to himself at the pathetic attack, Vegeta narrowed his eyes as Frieza launched the disc towards him. Once it neared, he easily dodged, moving so fast that the energy-tracking disc delayed in following his movement. But it did follow.

Frieza laughed. "You're going to die now, monkey scum."

Vegeta ignored Frieza's taunting, focusing on the task at hand as he grit his teeth, staring down the disc which was coming directly at him. He didn't feel like playing games with Frieza. The grating sounds of his voice offended Vegeta's ears now. He needed Frieza gone. With a forceful yell, Vegeta extended his palm, shooting his own ki at Frieza's weaker attack to destroy the disc.

While Frieza gasped at the sight of the explosion, Vegeta straightened his back, turning his glare down in Frieza's direction. "You disappoint me, Frieza. Your last ditch effort is that worthless attack? You don't have anything better to offer your greatest opponent?"

"W-worthless? You, a Saiyan, call _my_ attack worthless?!"

Vegeta answered the screeching question with a curt nod and hardened glare, before launching his entire body at Frieza and planting his fist into the lizard's face with all his might.

Frieza toppled over backwards, landing in a cracked crater of the hard terrain, which had been previously created by their battle. Baring his teeth as he sat on his knees, Frieza clenched his fists as the planet shook below him. Vegeta felt no alarm, no concern for whatever Frieza thought he was going to do. He could feel it now. _His_ power seemed endless, while Frieza's was slowly draining. There was no way he would allow this fight to end in Frieza's favor. Now it was just a matter of deciding whether to end it quickly or really give the monster his just desserts.

Vegeta had been waiting for this glorious day. Now he was a superior version of himself, finally able to match up against Frieza, while Frieza had thought no one would ever be able to do this. Frieza never imagined it would be a Saiyan who would be his downfall. The thought of it all made Vegeta smile. Once he was able to regain his breath from the exertion of evading and destroying Frieza's latest attack, Vegeta stalked towards Frieza.

Frieza groaned as he snapped his head up to look Vegeta in the eye. At the instant their eyes met, Vegeta felt his smile widen. He'd never seen Frieza look so scared. This was a side of Frieza that was new to him, and he was beginning to like it. Maybe he would toy with him for a little while before going in for the kill.

"This is impossible!"

"You keep saying that, Frieza." Vegeta shrugged. "But here we are."

"You…you can't!" Frieza leaned back as Vegeta neared, shaking his head fervently in denial. "You can't defeat _me_!"

"Oh," Vegeta laughed, "I'm going to do more than defeat you."

"No!" Frieza pounded a fist into the ground as Vegeta approached. "No! No! No!"

Vegeta laughed again. "How about we start small and make our way to the grand finale? _You_ like showy finishes, don't you?"

"Ah-"

Frieza was cut off as Vegeta moved suddenly, slamming his elbow down on the tyrant's head. Frieza collapsed to the ground after the powerful blow. The sight of him choking and spewing blood towards the ground wasn't fulfilling enough for Vegeta. He wanted to hear Frieza beg.

"What's your life worth to you, Frieza?"

Frieza's head snapped up again. "My life?! No one threatens _my_ life!"

Vegeta could sense the move before Frieza made it. He darted up into the air with lightning speed, just in time to avoid the blast that flew from Frieza's rapidly outstretched palms. Frieza sneered at his miss and tried again, but Vegeta could play that game all day. Frieza was never going to land one of those pitiful blasts on him, not when he was a Super Saiyan. After half a dozen attempts, Vegeta tired of that and decided to go on the offensive.

He yelled as he pushed his energy downwards, diving feet first from the air into the blasting freak below. When the drop kick landed against the neck of the lizard who barely made a move to dodge that attack, Vegeta smirked to himself, flashing his teeth.

Hurting Frieza was exhilarating. It made Vegeta curious how it would feel when he finally killed the monster. Maybe toying with him wasn't the way to go.

"Ahh! Vegeta!" Frieza screamed his name furiously as he recuperated from his tumble, glaring at Vegeta.

Vegeta cocked his head, his smirk remaining as he watched Frieza making his move. It seemed Frieza did still have more fight left in him after all.

"Die!" Frieza roared as he extended both his hands, sending alternating blasts at Vegeta in rapid succession.

The blasts were powerful, and as Vegeta used his ki to create a protective bubble, shielding himself from all incoming blasts, he couldn't help feeling the sting of the attacks. But it was nothing compared to how those attacks felt before his transformation. At his current level, he found it laughable that he'd ever found fighting Frieza to be a challenge. When the blasting ceased, Vegeta let his shield down, smirking at Frieza as the dust settled around him.

Extending his hands wide open, Vegeta intently met Frieza's red-eyed, twitching gaze. "No. _You_ die."

Vegeta began to focus energy from his entire body. He was done playing with Frieza. He just wanted one thing, and one thing alone now - to see the destroyer of his race and his planet die by his hand. His vengeance - the mighty Saiyan race's vengeance - against Frieza was long overdue.

"Final…"

Snapping his wrists together, Vegeta accumulated a sparking, concentrated mass of energy between his palms. Frieza's eyes bulged and twitched as he stared at Vegeta, freezing in shock.

"…Flash!"

The mass of crackling energy exploded from Vegeta's hands and zoomed towards Frieza, who rose rapidly to his feet just before the blast hit. "Noooo!"

* * *

While a blinding, massive explosion happened on Planet Frieza #209's surface, throughout different parts of the universe's otherworlds, all four attentively watching Kais gasped in unison.

King Kai looked to the group of expectant faces behind him, heaving a heavy sigh. "It's over!"


	35. The Greatest In The Universe

"Over?" Krillin asked, looking to Master Roshi. "What does he mean 'it's over'?"

With a few ideas forming in his mind, Roshi furrowed his brows. Either Vegeta was defeated, or Frieza. Or maybe what King Kai meant was that it was over for the rest of the universe. Still, Roshi was trying to err on the optimistic side, so he disregarded that last thought and instead focused on who came out of that fight as the victor. When he really thought about it, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. With Goku dead, there was no telling what the winner had in store for the universe.

"I _mean_ ," King Kai paused, then burst out with a jubilant exclamation, "the fight's over!"

"Wait." Master Roshi said, ending King Kai's brief celebration. "Who won?"

"Is _Frieza_ dead?" Krillin asked.

"Or Vegeta?" Chiaotzu added.

Master Roshi grunted as a scowl crossed his face. "I'm afraid the Earth won't be safe from either of them."

"Well," King Kai removed his glasses, wiping them clean with his robes, "it just so happens that Frieza's dead, so it's Vegeta your planet has to fear now."

Chiaotzu gasped. "Is Frieza _really_ dead?"

"That's hard to believe." Krillin knit his brows and crossed his arms. "The guy was powerful enough to kill _Goku_. You're telling me Vegeta really killed him?"

"Yes, Krillin." King Kai said. "Frieza is definitely dead."

* * *

"I never thought I'd see the day. And of all places you could end up, you're here at _my_ check-in station." Queen Ennu smiled down at the soul most recently landed at her desk. "Do you have anything to say for yourself before your judgement, Lord Frieza?"

The halo-adorned tyrant gaped, blinking as he took in his surroundings, including the trail of fluffy clouds of souls lined up behind him, before setting his gaze on the smug woman behind the desk.

Frieza wrinkled his nose as he peered at Ennu. "Wh-what happened? What am I doing here? Where's Vegeta?!"

Before Ennu could answer, a bout of boyish laughter drew Frieza's attention to the figure hovering above and to the right of Ennu's desk, who hadn't been there a second ago.

"He really did it!" Goku laughed again as he lowered his fingers from his forehead and marveled at Frieza's presence. "Wow! Way to go, Vegeta!"

"Goku?!" Frieza growled through his teeth as he clenched his fists and glared at the mocking, hovering Saiyan. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Goku placed his hands on his hips and tossed his head back, laughing again. "I _am_ , Frieza!"

Frieza paused in the midst of his motion, as he had already raised his palm in preparation to blast at Goku. Watching Frieza hesitate with his brows furrowed in realization, Ennu tittered in laughter herself. She couldn't resist. She never found amusement in souls realizing the reality of their deaths before, but this was a special case. She'd been long waiting for the invincible Lord Frieza to perish.

"Lord Frieza," Ennu addressed him once she decided he'd come to the appropriate realization, "it is time for your judgement. I don't think I need to bother with the unnecessary details of _why_ you're going to hell, so I'll just send you straight down."

While Ennu raised a finger in the air and then pressed it on a button at her desk, an organized team of deceased warriors from various races, but in matching uniform responded, strategically surrounding the murdered tyrant.

Goku gawked at the raucous display, while Ennu crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair with a confident smile. Frieza raised a brow as he glanced over his shoulder at part of the team, then to the other side, an amused smile briefly crossing his face before he turned a furious glare on Goku.

"Now don't be difficult, Lord Frieza." Ennu continued grinning, even with the murderous intent she felt emanating from Frieza. "If you don't cooperate, it'll only make matters worse for you when you receive your punishment."

Ignoring Ennu's warning, Frieza growled at Goku. "You worthless Saiyans are nothing! NOTHING! I _can't_ be killed by the likes of you!"

"Uh…" Goku blinked at Frieza, before rubbing the back of his head while meaningfully examining their ethereal surroundings.

Ennu leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at Frieza as she tapped a finger on her desk to signal her men. _Someone_ was in denial. They would have to be ready to act fast with this one. She would even probably have to get involved herself, though she preferred not to. Then again, there was always an easier way.

Sending her commander of the warriors a wink, Ennu raised a finger in the air and drew a small, discrete circle. At the same time that _she_ gathered her unique power, Frieza gathered power between his palms and raised his hands over his head, his intent directed towards a gawking Goku.

"Disappear, monke-!" Frieza froze, his body jolting forward as he attempted to launch the blast, but aside from his pupils darting side to side, all of his movements had ceased. The light of his attack disappeared as the ki between his palms dwindled into nothing. Like a statue, Frieza stood, while the warriors moved in to escort his paralyzed body from Ennu's office.

Garbled protests flew from Frieza's frozen lips as he was lifted and carried out like an inanimate object. Goku's posture slumped as he watched the scene unfolding before him in utter disbelief. Ennu gave an approving nod to her men, smiling at the last green-skinned soldier as his eyes met hers and he gave a courteous bow on his way out.

Goku gasped and looked at Ennu with wide eyes. "That was great! How'd you send Frieza to hell so easily, Ennu? Can you teach _me_ that technique?"

Ennu stopped smiling, narrowing her eyes as she cast a sideways glance at the hovering Saiyan who'd returned to her office. "What are you doing back here? Aren't you supposed to be in hell already?"

"M-me?" Goku's eyes widened in realization before he slowly drifted away from Ennu's desk with a nervous chuckle. "No, you never wanted me down there. I'm exactly where you wanted me to be."

Ennu turned to face Goku, narrowing her eyes further with irritation at his lingering presence. She would assume any reasonable man would use that technique of his and get out of there before it was too late, but Goku didn't seem to be catching on. She couldn't just let him go if he was going to stay there, though. She had a reputation to uphold, and servants and a long line of souls witnessing her actions. She would have to go through with sending him to join Frieza.

Seeing the determined look in Ennu's eyes, Goku yelped and waved his hands defensively. "Actually, I'd better get back! See ya, Ennu!"

When Goku finally disappeared, Ennu rolled her eyes. She cradled her head in her hand, rubbing the tension away, which was quickly dissipating after the two latest disappearances from her office. She would admit to herself, and only herself, that she was scared for a minute there. Being handed the task of sending Lord Frieza to hell could have been a monumental challenge. She hadn't foreseen the additional provocation of a Saiyan presence appearing before her desk. But it had gone smoothly enough. No one was killed a second time. And Frieza would get an eternity of the torment he delivered to others rightfully served back to him. Ennu could check off another smooth judgement, even if she _was_ allowing one unusual Saiyan to slip through the cracks.

* * *

Hovering over the massive crater that had formed from his devastating blast, Vegeta closed his eyes and raised his chin, taking a deep breath of satisfaction. He could smell it in the air. That vile stench of Frieza was gone. All that was left behind were the sweet smells of destruction- blood, dirt, the burning of plant life, and charred asphalt.

Vegeta cracked a smile, slowly baring his teeth to the vacant planet below as he spread his arms and stretched towards the sky. "Frieza is dead!" Tossing his head back and holding his stomach, Vegeta laughed, "I destroyed that lizard scum. _Finally_."

Vegeta slowly descended towards the ground with a smile on his face. It felt so good to finally be rid of not only Frieza, but also Kakarot. Those two had challenged him, mocked his pride, and somehow managed to stay ahead of him in power all along. But not now. Not after this fight. The end of their existences marked the beginning of Vegeta's era as ruler of the universe. His vision was finally becoming reality. As a Super Saiyan, his power was far beyond anyone else's. He was number one now.

If he was going to rule the universe, he had to decide where to begin. This deserted planet had turned into a barren wasteland from that fight, as was made evident by the crumbling buildings surrounding him and smoke-filled dark sky. The first thing he would do would be to leave and assemble his underlings. It was too bad Planet Vegeta and all its warriors were gone. He couldn't tolerate another Zarbon or Dodoria. And yet…there _was_ one Saiyan still. Out there in the universe, though his blood wasn't pure, he was the only surviving Saiyan aside from Vegeta. Kakarot's half-Earthling child was Vegeta's best choice to serve as his right hand man.

But then, Vegeta realized returning to Earth could be troublesome. On that planet, they had Dragonballs, which the Earthlings more than likely had gathered again since the Saiyans left. Who knew what kind of wishes the Earthlings might think up to try and stop him if they knew his intentions. Vegeta would have to approach this carefully. Still, there was no doubt in his mind. As Vegeta smirked decisively, he flew for his landing site, intent on boarding his space pod and returning to Earth.

* * *

The repetitive clicks of Bulma tapping the scouter and the scouter's responsive beeping that always followed filled the quiet kitchen of Capsule Corporation. While Bulma was sitting at the kitchen table, scribbling notes over whatever she was hearing, Chi-Chi was keeping busy making dinner for the hard-working fighters tearing up Capsule Corporation's yard with their training.

Chi-Chi stirred the pot of steaming meats and vegetables as Mrs. Brief began humming beside her and stirring the batter of the sweet dessert she was making to complement Chi-Chi's meal.

As a loud crash sounded from outside, Mrs. Brief tilted her head and hummed. "Those men are working so hard out there. I think they deserve a yummy treat after all that work. Chi-Chi, does Gohan like vanilla frosting or chocolate?"

Hardly hearing Mrs. Brief's question, Chi-Chi frowned into the deliciously scented meal cooking in front of her. She could be at home, cooking this solely for herself and Gohan, perhaps even her dad, but she knew that would never happen as she wished. Their meal would be intruded upon by Dodoria or Piccolo, or both. Besides, as long as Chi-Chi knew Gohan was going to be involved in all of this, she didn't want to leave his side or Capsule Corporation.

She wanted to be one of the first to know when news came. Already, she had an emergency bag packed for Gohan in case the plans changed and he needed to leave the Earth for his safety - _with_ his mother, of course. She also had her dad on alert to be ready to collect the bag from their home on Mt. Paozu at a moment's notice. And she'd made it crystal clear to Bulma that she was to be the first to be informed as soon as Bulma knew who was coming to Earth or when to expect their arrival.

Thinking along those lines as she replaced the lid on the steaming hot pot, Chi-Chi turned towards the kitchen table. "Anything yet, Bulma?"

Bulma hummed pensively as Chi-Chi skirted around the long counter between them to get a better look at her. When Bulma came into view, Chi-Chi noted that her face was scrunched in concentration and her hand was working fervently with the pen.

"Maybe. I think so."

Chi-Chi gasped and clasped her hands together. "Really?"

She was more than surprised to hear that promising response from Bulma. For days, all Bulma was getting out of that stupid device were cryptic messages and one-worded communications. It was a far cry from being prepared, and it was putting Chi-Chi on edge.

"I just have to piece together these last few messages, but I think I've got something. They definitely mentioned Vegeta."

"Vegeta?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Brief gushed with a smile over her shoulder. "That's the Saiyan! Right, Bulma?"

Bulma sighed before returning to her work. "Yes, Mom. Do you think you can get Dad in here? I might decipher this faster with his help."

"Sure, sweetheart. Should I offer the boys some lemonade before I get him?"

"If I can get this message across to them," Bulma removed the scouter from her face to get a clearer view of her writings, "they'll be much more interested in hearing this news than drinking lemonade."

"All right! I'll get your father, then."

As Mrs. Brief shuffled out of the kitchen, Chi-Chi approached the table, sliding into the empty chair beside Bulma and glancing over her shoulder at the scribbles of odd symbols and random words. Unfortunately, as she studied the page with curious fascination, she couldn't make heads or tails of it, but she'd figured it was worth a glance.

"Bulma!" Dr. Brief's voice alarmed both Bulma and Chi-Chi to look up from the page. "You have something?"

"Take a look at this." Bulma said with a nod, angling the paper towards her father and out of Chi-Chi's line of sight. "I heard _this_ yesterday, and _this_ early this morning, and just now _this_ one. I think they're all related."

As Dr. Brief nodded at everything Bulma was pointing at and stroked his mustache with a pensive grimace, Bulma slammed her fist on the table. "I just wish we weren't getting all these messages so garbled or we'd know what's going on already!"

"What _is_ going on, Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked, standing from her chair to look Bulma and Dr. Brief in the eyes. "You two better find out fast! It's bad enough I'm already a widow, but now my little boy's in danger!"

"We're _all_ in danger, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi glared at Bulma and crossed her arms. "No one is in as much danger as Gohan!"

"Look!" Dr. Brief's finger struck at one of the odd symbols on the page. "Isn't that the same symbol from the message you received a few days ago about Frieza?"

"It _is_ ," Bulma groaned, "but without knowing what that symbol means, I have no ide-"

"Hey, guys!" Everyone snapped their heads towards the door as Yamcha paraded inside with a big smile on his face.

Puar came flying out of the spare bedroom. "Yamcha!"

Yamcha smiled at Puar before turning a curious look towards the kitchen. "What's happening in here?"

As Gohan filed in behind Yamcha, looking dirty, sweaty and tired, but otherwise fine, Chi-Chi sighed in relief. "Bulma thinks she's found an important message from space."

"About the fight?" Gohan eagerly chimed in, skipping ahead of Yamcha to join them in the kitchen.

Chi-Chi nodded and smiled fondly at her son as both Briefs continued puzzling over their paper. "Taking a break from training, Gohan?"

"Yeah." Yamcha answered for Gohan as he took the empty seat Chi-Chi had occupied earlier. "Piccolo and Dodoria had to have it out for a while on their own."

Chi-Chi immediately noticed how Gohan winced and glanced towards the door to the outside. Placing her hands on her hips, Chi-Chi glared towards that door. "What are those two hooligans doing now?"

"You know," Yamcha shrugged, "just being Piccolo and Dodoria."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Gohan forced a hopeful smile, "if we just give them some space for a while."

"What happened to Tien?" Bulma asked with a brief glance at Yamcha.

"I think he got irritated by Piccolo and Dodoria." Yamcha said. "He took off to train alone for a while."

"I think I've got it!"

Dr. Brief's outburst made everyone turn towards him and stop talking. Bulma gasped and scrutinized what her father was pointing at on paper, before smiling wide and jumping in the air.

"Yes!" As Bulma leaned over the table and continued studying the message her father had decoded, her excitement quickly vanished. "It looks like I have good news," she whimpered, "and bad news, guys."

"What's the good news?" Yamcha asked.

"I know who won the fight."

"And the bad news?" Chi-Chi asked.

Everyone stopped and looked at her as she crossed her arms. But they had to know. And the sooner they knew the bad news, the sooner they could do something about it.

Bulma grimaced as she spoke. "He's already on his way here."

Gohan gasped and braced both hands on the table to lean eagerly towards Bulma. "Who, Bulma?"

"Vegeta."

As Gohan, Yamcha and Puar gasped, Chi-Chi bit her lip. So, okay. The monster who killed Goku wasn't coming after her little boy, too. So this meant _he_ was dead. That was a relief. But a Saiyan was coming to Earth, which is what killed them all the first time. If this guy was anything like Goku's lousy brother who had the nerve to steal her husband away from his home and kill everyone on the planet just for existing, she didn't want him anywhere near her baby. She didn't want Gohan associated with these Saiyans in any way. As far as she was concerned, Goku never was a Saiyan, and Gohan would have no part in that violent race of people.

But this guy killed the monster who killed Goku. He had to be very powerful, and Chi-Chi worried that no matter how much training Gohan and the others were doing, they wouldn't be able to stand up to him. Even worse, she couldn't stop imagining all the horrible intentions that man might have for her baby. What if he wanted to take Gohan away from her, just like Goku's brother took him? That would be worse than knowing her baby would die again. And then there was that. If this Saiyan killed her baby, Gohan couldn't be revived. They all couldn't be revived by Shenron again after that purge. Shaking her head fervently in denial, Chi-Chi finally reached for Gohan and squeezed him to her as tightly as she could.

"Chi-Chi!" Bulma's eyes bulged in alarm as she watched the sudden attack.

"Hey, go easy on the kid." Yamcha said.

"No!" Chi-Chi felt tears welling in her eyes as Gohan's warmth comforted her, even though he wasn't returning the embrace. "No, I won't let that Saiyan get my baby!"

Yamcha snapped his fingers. "We should wish Goku back! Once he's revived, he can defend the Earth from the Saiyan."

"That would be a waste of a wish." The sudden intrusion of a grim voice from the outside doorway made Chi-Chi's eyes go wide and her grip on Gohan loosen as she turned to face a bloody and battered Piccolo.

"He's right." Dodoria agreed as he stepped in behind Piccolo, looking just as gruesome. "If Vegeta really killed Frieza, Goku wouldn't stand a chance against Vegeta."

"Hey, guys." Yamcha crossed his arms and smirked tauntingly at Piccolo and Dodoria. "Nice of you two to join us."

"It wouldn't be a waste of a wish!" Chi-Chi yelled at Piccolo indignantly. "Goku would be alive again!"

"Right. I want that, too, Chi-Chi." Bulma said with a sorrowful smile. "But in this case, Piccolo's right. Even if we wish Goku back and he can help us with Vegeta, he'll be millions of miles away. He'll never get here in time to help us. We need to hold off on using our wish for now. We may need the Dragonballs to help us in some other way."

"Maybe Vegeta won't attack us when he gets here." Gohan said. "I mean, if Raditz purged the Earth for Frieza, maybe that doesn't matter to Vegeta now that Frieza's dead. Maybe he's coming back here for some other reason."

"If that's true, you're in _worse_ trouble, Gohan." Piccolo said, making Chi-Chi gasp along with the others. "Vegeta's chosen the Earth above other planets for _some_ reason. If it's not to destroy us, then he's coming for you."

Gohan balled his fists, looking more angry and defiant than Chi-Chi had ever seen him. "If that's what he wants, let him come! I'm not scared of him!"

Chi-Chi gasped. "Gohan!"

"Don't be stupid, Gohan." Piccolo said. "Vegeta's the strongest in the universe now. He could easily destroy this entire planet."

"So what chances do we have with Goku gone?" Yamcha cried.

Dodoria snorted. "It doesn't take a genius to see we don't have much of a chance if we fight him."

"So what if we don't?" Bulma asked.

Chi-Chi gasped and clenched a fist to her chest as she looked to Bulma. "Bulma, what do you mean?"

Dodoria furrowed his brows. "Don't fight him?"

"Right." Bulma smiled. "Gohan might be onto something. Maybe if Vegeta sees that humans and Saiyans aren't that different, he might _like_ staying here and keeping us all alive!"

"But Saiyans and humans are different, Bulma." Yamcha said. "I mean, have you _met_ Goku? Besides, I don't think being similar to Saiyans would help our cause. Being half-Saiyan didn't save Gohan from getting killed by the first Saiyan who came here."

Chi-Chi winced and clenched her fists by her sides. "Do you _have_ to remind us of that?"

As Yamcha grimaced and issued Chi-Chi and Gohan an apologetic smile, Bulma crossed her arms. "Fine. Forget about convincing him that we're like Saiyans. We'll just have to show him that humans have something to offer to Saiyans."

After issuing the men a smug smile, Bulma pointedly locked her gaze on Chi-Chi and briefly directed a look at Gohan. Chi-Chi tilted her head, considering what Bulma might be thinking as their eyes met again. The first thing that crossed Chi-Chi's mind immediately offended her.

"Bulma!" Chi-Chi cupped her hands firmly over Gohan's innocent ears. "Are you honestly suggesting we offer ourselves as Saiyan baby makers?"

Yamcha grunted. "Huh?"

"Oh," Piccolo wrinkled his nose, "that's disgusting."

"What? No!" Bulma's eyes bulged before she pressed a finger to her chin with a pensive tilt of her head. "I mean, as a last resort, I suppose that's something to consider. But think about Goku. What does he like?"

Yamcha placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "Fighting."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "Acting like an idiot."

As memories from their peaceful early years of marriage raced through her mind, Chi-Chi flushed and pressed her lips tightly together. There were many things she could say about what Goku liked, but she knew what she had to say would be too sweet and personal for the purpose of this conversation.

"Being outdoors." Gohan offered, causing Chi-Chi to sigh in relief.

"Food." Dodoria said so definitively that everyone turned to him with a gasp.

Chi-Chi nodded fervently, knowing first-hand just how much Goku liked his food. "Yes! Food!"

Bulma smirked. "Right. Yamcha! You, my mom, Chi-Chi, Dodoria and anyone else you know who can cook needs to get to work. When that alien gets here, we'll show him that Earth has the best food in the universe and blowing us to bits would _not_ be in his best interest!"

Piccolo scoffed. "You're going to save the planet with food?"

"Why not?" Bulma shrugged. "If Goku's appetite is a Saiyan thing, there's no way Vegeta would let all of our great dishes and the people and materials that create them go to waste."

Dodoria stubbornly shook his head. "I am not cooking for _Vegeta_."

Bulma shot the alien a taunting smirk. "Maybe you're right. I'm sure you two have history. There must be some issues there that need working out. In your case, your cooking probably won't save you. Maybe _you_ should plan on a good old-fashioned apology."

Dodoria huffed, glaring at Bulma with an affronted expression before pouting stubbornly towards the ground.

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "This plan is ridiculous."

"Hey, it's worth a try!" Bulma braced her hands on her hips and glared at Piccolo. "Got any better suggestions?"

"I'm willing to give Bulma's plan a go. And if it doesn't work," Yamcha snickered, "we still have that baby making idea to fall back on!"

Chi-Chi glared at Yamcha for that remark, which Gohan unfortunately heard. But then she refocused her attention on Bulma's plan, knitting her brows in concern. "If we do this, won't Vegeta just see us as slaves here to serve him?"

"That's _exactly_ what we want him to think." Bulma smiled smugly. "That'll keep us perfectly safe long enough for me to invent something powerful enough to protect us from a Super Saiyan before he decides to change his mind."

"What about Gohan?"

Bulma whirled towards Piccolo. "Huh?"

"What about Gohan?" Piccolo repeated irritably. "Vegeta won't forget about the fact that he's Goku's son and the only other Saiyan survivor. No amount of appeasing this guy will save Gohan."

At Piccolo's words, Chi-Chi met his knowing gaze and whimpered. Piccolo was right. There was no telling what was going to happen to her son. It was bad enough that Goku had to be taken from her in such an awful way. She just couldn't bear the thought of a similar fate befalling her little boy. As Bulma's gaze fell to the floor, and Yamcha's as well, Chi-Chi placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder, wrapping her fingers around him in a tight hold.

"Well," Bulma sighed and gave Gohan a sympathetic look, "we'll just have to do the best we can. If all else fails, there's always the Dragonballs. But I really want to save our wish so we can use it to revive Goku."

Chi-Chi felt through her fingers the vibration of Gohan's trembling as he nodded at Bulma. Chi-Chi couldn't stand the thought of her son being denied his father, not when they already had such a short-lived reunion before he had to run off to another fight and get killed. There were a lot of things Chi-Chi planned to say to her husband when she finally saw him again, but right now, all she wanted was to know that he would come back to them safely. Unfortunately, she realized that if it ever did happen, it wouldn't be any time in the near future.

First, they had another Saiyan to welcome back to Earth.


	36. Return To Earth

"Wow. You were right, King Kai. Frieza's really dead." Goku chuckled at the peevishly frowning face in front of him. "And really pissed off, too."

"Well, of course he is. Who wouldn't be," South Kai grumbled, "after being killed by a _Saiyan_."

"Hey!" Goku pouted in offense.

"What?" South Kai raised a pink-skinned brow and looked Goku up and down before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right! You're one of them too, aren't you?"

Goku crossed his arms. "And what's wrong with being a Saiyan?"

King Kai laughed. "Oh, who am I to judge? From my point of view, any mortal race is subpar."

Goku blinked. "Sub…par?"

"Er...nevermind." King Kai peered through his sunglasses at Goku and pursed his lips. "Goku, right?"

"Yeah."

"Say, Goku. If there's anything I know about Saiyans, it's that they love to fight."

Goku smiled. "We sure do."

King Kai smirked and clasped his hands behind his back. "What would you say if I asked you to fight for my team in the Otherworld Tournament?"

"Otherworld Tournament?"

"Yes. It'll be the first time we've done this in over three hundred years." King Kai smiled and raised his chin. "It's a little something West Kai and I have been talking about doing sometime in the next few years. The greatest warriors in history from all over the universe will compete at the Grand Kai's place. Have you ever competed in a tournament before?"

"Sure."

"And," King Kai peered suspiciously at Goku, "you wouldn't try to kill anyone in the ring, would you?"

"Nah." Goku shook his head. "I'm pretty sure that would disqualify me. But…"

King Kai grunted, surprised by Goku's answer. It made him a little nervous, being alone in the company of a Saiyan. Especially when it seemed the only thing holding him back from killing were meager technicalities. What was to stop the Saiyan from trying to kill him? He had to offer the Saiyan something he'd want. Of course, as he was thinking this, King Kai wondered why the hell Queen Ennu sent this Saiyan to his private planet in the first place.

When Goku frowned and stared at King Kai, letting his unspoken objection hang, King Kai scowled. "But what?"

"As much as a tournament sounds fun and everything, I don't think I have time for that."

King Kai pointedly raised his brows to eye the halo over Goku's head and laughed. "And where do you think _you're_ rushing off to?"

"Earth."

With his lips pressed together tightly, King Kai let loose a burst of laughter, which sent spit flying from his mouth. "Planet Earth? You're going to Earth? Oh, that's too good! And how, dare I ask, do you propose to do that when you're dead?"

Goku placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head. "Well, I can't do it alone. The others have to wish me back."

Goku's optimistic demeanor seemed to wither with that statement. King Kai's laughter ceased as he observed the odd change in the seemingly carefree Saiyan's attitude. He didn't know why Goku thought it was possible to be wished back to life. There _were_ a few possibilities in the universe that South Kai was aware of, but he highly doubted a Saiyan would know about those options. However, South Kai felt uncomfortable with mentioning them at the moment. He didn't want to make the man anymore upset than he already was. But as Goku's frown deepened, King Kai felt he had no choice but to progress the conversation before the Saiyan continued on a downward spiral.

King Kai swallowed down the lump in his throat. "You…expect the Earthlings to wish you back?"

Goku directed his gaze towards the ethereal blue sky. "If they still want me back."

King Kai was tempted to ask why Goku thought they wouldn't. But he already knew the answer to that question. It was because he was a Saiyan! King Kai couldn't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting to resurrect a Saiyan.

"Well," King Kai coughed nervously into his fist, "when do you expect this wish to happen?"

While King Kai waited patiently, Goku crossed his arms and pushed his chin into his chest, thinking hard on the matter. "I d'know. Bulma should have the Dragonballs gathered by now, but-"

King Kai gasped. "Dragonballs?"

Now he understood the Saiyan's plan. But that definitely required dedication from the people doing the resurrecting. The Dragonballs were a rare set of items, not easily found. King Kai was surprised that Earthlings would _have_ Dragonballs, let alone the capability of locating and gathering them together, and then knowing the password to summon the eternal dragon. He could see why Goku was uncertain about whether the Earthlings would decide to wish him back.

"Yeah." Goku smiled at King Kai and dropped his hands to his sides. "Before I died, I used them to ask Shenron to revive everyone on Earth."

King Kai blinked, surprised to hear of such a considerate act from a Saiyan. "So…they should wish you back, if only to return the favor."

Goku gaped at him for a moment, before a small smile crossed his face. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"In the meantime," King Kai wrapped an arm over Goku's shoulder and led him towards his small home on his little planet, "we can begin your training for the tournament."

"But I already told you-"

"I know, I know!" King Kai waved his hand dismissively as they reached the doorway and the door slowly opened from the inside. "But I've never had a warrior of your caliber in my quadrant before! I really want to show those other Kais that the South can win! We'll just have to push the tournament forward."

Goku opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, two tall figures emerged from the doorway. King Kai's green-skinned fighter with an amphibious face and long white robes stepped forward. "King Kai, who's this?"

"Froug!" King Kai smiled and patted his hand on Goku's shoulder. "This is Goku. He's joining our team."

"King Kai…" Goku grumbled, shrugging out from King Kai's grasp.

"For the tournament?" Froug cocked a brow as he looked Goku over.

"Isn't it a little late for new additions?" Complained the other, taller man, who stepped beside Froug and crossed his red, armored arms.

"It's never too late!" King Kai shouted. "Froug, Torbie, maybe you two should attack Goku to get him started."

"Hey, wait!" Goku held up his hands before the others could think of attacking. "I never agreed to this tournament! Vegeta's a Super Saiyan now, and without me alive to stop him, he might decide to take over where Frieza left off! I have a more important battle to prepare for right now."

Torbie bristled. "Either way, you have to get ready for a fight, don't you?"

Goku smiled. "Yeah. I don't just need any training, though. After seeing what Vegeta did, I know what has to be done. In order to compete with him, _I_ have to become a Super Saiyan, too."

Torbie crossed his arms and smirked. "So train with us."

Goku looked Torbie up and down and frowned. "Sorry, but I don't think you can give me the training I need."

Froug growled and clenched his fists. "Are you calling us weaklings?"

"Hey! Hey, guys!" King Kai stepped between Goku and the offended pair of warriors, raising his hands in the air. "We're all on the same side here. Goku, I can help you more than you know."

Goku gasped, meeting King Kai's serious gaze. King Kai answered the look with a solemn nod. He knew what he was doing, though in the back of his mind he questioned whether taking the risk of making a dangerous Saiyan more powerful was worth his possible win in the tournament. Goku wouldn't be staying in the afterlife for long, though, if his expectations of a resurrection were to come to fruition.

King Kai only needed Goku to stick around long enough to become powerful and win that tournament for the South. As far as King Kai knew, East Kai's candidates were pitiful, North Kai had Earthling fighters who could likely defeat Torbie and Froug, but would not stand a chance against this Saiyan, and West Kai had his damn Pikkon, who would be the toughest competitor in the tournament for sure. But with Goku, South Kai knew his team stood a fighting chance. However, as he looked at Goku, the Saiyan looked reluctant to stay. Also, South Kai realized that there was a good chance the Earthlings would resurrect Goku before the tournament even began.

"What do you say, Goku?" King Kai asked hopefully. "Will you fight for us if I train you?"

Goku shrugged. "I'll train here for now, but I can't promise anything about the tournament."

King Kai nodded and rubbed his chin. "Because you might be alive again before it starts?"

"Right."

"What do you say I reach out to these Earthlings who might be reviving you?"

"Huh?"

"Just like I informed North Kai of your presence here, I can communicate with a human on Earth."

"Really?" Goku beamed. "You can do that for me?"

"Uh-huh." King Kai smiled and nodded. "But I'm going to tell them not to wish you back yet."

"But why, King Kai?" Goku pouted. "I wanna be alive again before anyone fights Vegeta!"

"What's the use if you're not a Super Saiyan, Goku?" King Kai scolded, as Froug and Torbie crossed their arms and waited. "You'll reach that goal much faster here. Training on my planet is equivalent to _years_ of training in the living world."

Goku's eyes lit with excitement. "Really? Then I can definitely get stronger than Vegeta here!"

"Well," King Kai chuckled warily, "let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"You're right." Goku frowned. "I don't have time for that if Vegeta's heading back to Earth."

"Uh…" King Kai trailed off, not wanting to inform the Saiyan that Vegeta _was_ in fact heading towards Earth. "Let's just see what the Earthlings have to say about this. What did you say was the name of the Earthling with the Dragonballs?"

"Oh." Goku blinked, pulled from his reverie by King Kai's question. "Bulma. Bulma Brief."

"Right. So I'll contact her." King Kai turned around, then glanced over his shoulder towards the three warriors standing behind him. "Give me a minute here. Telepathy isn't exactly my forte."

The warriors exchanged curious glances, but to King Kai's satisfaction, remained silent as requested. Closing his eyes, King Kai concentrated on the planet Earth, seeking out this woman Goku spoke of. As he worked to focus in on her, he furrowed his brows with concern. He hoped what she had to say was not going to drive Goku to the decision of returning to Earth too quickly. He really wanted to win this tournament!

When he found the energy he was searching for, King Kai beamed. "Got it! Bulma? Bulma Brief, can you hear me?"

" _Uh…who…."_

Behind him, Goku gasped and grabbed a hold of his shoulder. "Are you really talking to Bulma, King Kai?"

" _Goku?! Is that you?"_

Goku laughed. "Bulma!"

King Kai smiled. "Bulma Brief. Good, it is you!"

" _Uh…"_ the woman's voice dwindled into a wavering sigh, _"Goku, how am I hearing you and some strange man in my head right now? Please tell me I'm not going crazy."_

"Okay," Goku frowned and exchanged a glance with King Kai, "you're not going crazy. But I don't know what good that does, coming from the voice in your head and all."

As Goku laughed, the woman whined in frustration. King Kai cringed at both of the obnoxious sounds.

" _Goku, is that really you? Or is somebody playing a really sick joke on me?"_

"It's really me, Bulma."

"Listen, Bulma Brief." King Kai grunted in frustration. "This is King Kai."

" _Oh!"_ The Earthling gasped elatedly before a long pause. _"Wait…you're not King Kai."_

King Kai scowled. "Yes, I am."

" _Nu-uh."_ The woman replied stubbornly. _"King Kai is the god who contacted us with Krillin, Master Roshi and Chiaotzu, and your voice sounds nothing like his."_

King Kai groaned. North Kai must've talked to the Earthlings before. Of course he had to talk to a whole gang of people, flaunting his telepathic abilities. South Kai wouldn't expect anything less from that nuisance.

King Kai narrowed his eyes at Goku in frustration. "I'm not _that_ King Kai. This is South Kai. Now, the reason we're contacting you-"

" _Let me guess. You're going to warn us that Vegeta is on his way to Earth."_

King Kai blinked, then grimaced as he saw the flash of concern crossing Goku's face. "N-no, that's n-"

" _Well, we already know. And we're a few steps ahead of you here. We already have a plan to keep him distracted so he doesn't kill all of us when he gets here."_

King Kai furrowed his brows, surprised by the confidence he heard in the woman's voice. There was certainly no one in the universe powerful enough to counter Vegeta's strength after what he'd witnessed of that fight with Frieza. And if the Earthlings thought a ruthless Saiyan was going to step down and spare their planet, they had to be delusional.

Goku leaned forward eagerly, putting pressure on King Kai's broad shoulder. "What's your plan, Bulma?"

" _Food, Goku!"_

"Food?" Goku's expression morphed into a look of realization. "Ah! You mean you're going to _feed_ Vegeta when he comes to Earth?"

" _That's right."_ Bulma's voice was gloating in King Kai's ear _. "That should work with him, right? We figured he must eat like you, Goku. And while he's content with that, I'll be secretively inventing something to-"_

Goku scoffed. "You mean Chi-Chi and Dodoria and everybody are going to cook lots of delicious food and just _give_ all of it to Vegeta!?"

" _Yeah."_

"That's not fair! Wait!" Goku clenched his fist excitedly. "Do _I_ get all that when I come back to Earth?"

" _Uh…I don't know, Goku."_ Bulma drawled uneasily, _"Are_ you _planning on killing everyone on Earth if we don't?"_

"If I say yes, do I get the food?"

" _Goku!"_

"Listen," King Kai interjected, "it sounds like you Earthlings have a decent plan of defense in place. And Goku tells me you have Dragonballs."

" _Yes."_ Bulma hesitated. _"About that…"_

"Can you hold off on using them, Bulma?" Goku asked.

Bulma audibly balked. _"Huh?"_

"I'm no good against Vegeta unless I'm a Super Saiyan. I need time to train here before I come back to life."

" _You really think you can fight Vegeta, Goku?"_

Goku chuckled. "Yeah. But maybe as long as I'm dead, Vegeta won't fight anyone. I know _I_ wouldn't worry about it if I was greeted with all that food."

" _But…what if he does fight someone?"_

Goku glanced at King Kai, as if looking for reassurance. King Kai wished he could give it, but he knew there was a good chance that the Saiyan was going to attack Earth, and most likely try to conquer the universe as Frieza had done before him. It wasn't a matter of knowing whether the Saiyan prince would do it, but how long it would take for him to act.

"I think you've got things covered for now, Miss Brief. Goku's training here is necessary anyways." King Kai said decisively to Bulma. "I'm going to give Goku the training he needs, so when you do wish him back, he'll be ready to face Vegeta."

" _But Goku will return to life on the planet where he died, and we only have one wish."_ Bulma huffed. _"By the time he travels back to Earth, it might be too late."_

"Don't worry, Bulma. I know a faster way back to Earth. And besides," Goku smiled at King Kai as he spoke to Bulma, "as long as you don't say anything to set Vegeta off, I'm sure he'll behave until I get there."

" _What do you mean, 'if I don't say anything to set Vegeta off', Goku?"_ Bulma replied in an offended tone, though she continued without awaiting an answer. _"You really expect us to play host to this murdering creep for an indefinite amount of time? How will we know when we can wish you back?"_

"I'll take care of that." King Kai said with a proud smile. "As soon as Goku's ready, I'll call on you again. Just have the Dragonballs ready."

"Okay, Bulma?" Goku smiled and patted King Kai's back. "Say hi to everyone on Earth for me. And tell them I'll see them again soon!"

" _Goku!"_

Goku was already running away, heading towards Torbie and Froug who had gotten involved in a gentle spar just outside King Kai's humble abode. King Kai sighed before addressing the young woman again. "Don't worry, young lady. I'm sure the Earth will be safe on its own for a little while."

" _Goku? Where'd he go?"_

"He's," King Kai winced as a crash sounded behind him, and he turned to find Froug already embedded into the shattered stone wall of his home, "already run off to train with my warriors here."

King Kai couldn't help grimacing at the damage as Torbie plucked Froug from the wall, while Goku rubbed the back of his head and uttered an apology to the battered fighter. The equipment King Kai could supply for Goku's training was going to have to be materialized quickly, unless King Kai wanted to see his planet destroyed and his other fighters beaten to a pulp before the tournament even started. He could see he had a lot of work ahead of him with this Saiyan.

" _Training already?"_ Bulma huffed while King Kai could hear more grunts and clashes starting behind him, _"Well then can_ you _tell me why a god is willing to risk the safety of Earth's entire population to keep Goku there?"_

King Kai blinked. "Excuse me? We told you, Goku needs to become a Super Saiyan."

" _I'm not buying that excuse. That may be Goku's reason, and it's not a bad one. But God or not, Buddy, you have ulterior motives. I can tell."_

King Kai huffed at the woman's audacity, but then chuckled as he heard a shriek and collision of fists behind him. "Alright, I admit it. I want Goku to win a tournament and settle something for me. These are _Godly_ matters you mortals couldn't possibly understand. And in all honesty, Earth is _North_ Kai's territory. It's not my job to look out for the well-being of your planet."

" _Why, you!"_

King Kai smiled, even as a powerful crash vibrated and shook the ground beneath his feet, making him wince. "Bye now, young lady. We'll be talking again soon."

After he turned back to facing the warriors with his arms crossed and a gloating smile on his face, King Kai's face fell. Froug was laid out on the ground and knocked unconscious, Torbie was panting and grimacing towards King Kai's house, and his car -his beautiful periwinkle blue classic car- had a huge dent on the fender. King Kai let out a shrill cry as his shoulders slumped. Goku wiped the dust from his hands and gave King Kai an apologetic smile.

The first task King Kai was going to give Goku for his training would be fixing that dent in his car. Then, he was going to have to fit the Saiyan with weighted attire for the remainder of his training to prevent any more of this. Lots of weighted attire.

* * *

The hiss of an opening air-lock echoed through a rock and dirt-riddled valley of wasteland. Dust clouds were settling in the sunlit air around the small round pod, while shadows from the opening hatch were slowly peeled away to reveal the face of the Saiyan resting inside. When the hatch settled against the ground with a thud, more dirt was spewed into the air as Vegeta finally opened his eyes.

Narrowing his gaze towards his left, then his right, Vegeta uncrossed his arms and stepped out of his pod, emerging into the sunlight and dust while squinting at the brightness of it all. But when he remembered where he'd arrived and what he was doing there, a smirk slowly spread across his face.

Now, he had to find Dodoria and Kakarot's Earthling friends who might be anticipating his arrival, so he could show them his awesome power. As he recalled from the last time coming to this planet, there was a welcoming party already out at the landing site to greet him. It was a pity that it seemed this time they couldn't be bothered, now that he was a Super Saiyan. Vegeta decided he'd have to correct that.

Closing his eyes, Vegeta concentrated, searching for Dodoria's ki. He could feel weaker kis all over – the planet was infested with them. But Dodoria's was harder to locate. Clenching his eyes shut, Vegeta concentrated harder, reaching out to find the strong ki, and finally recognizing a powerful energy towards the west. But what caught his attention and finally made him open his eyes was when he realized that one of Earth's weaker ki was rapidly approaching him.

"Hn." Vegeta snapped his head in that direction, where he spied a small aircraft headed towards him. "Who could this be?"

He crossed his arms and scowled as he waited. Of course, he could go to them and save himself the wait, but he'd rather make them travel. _Especially_ as he stood there, wondering why some weakling who required an aircraft to fly was brave enough to approach him while all the cowardly fighters on the planet remained in hiding.

When the yellow plane came into clearer view, Vegeta briefly thought about blasting it out of the sky. That would have sent a clear message to the fighters of this planet as well as that toad, Dodoria, that Vegeta was here and he intended to conquer. But then, if he did that, he would never know why this insignificant Earthling was the one to approach him.

In all honesty, he was intrigued. He wanted to hear what the Earthling messenger had to say. Also, he'd finally just detected miniscule energy signals surrounding him. Vegeta harrumphed to himself in amusement. Apparently Kakarot wasn't the only one from Earth who could mask his energy level. So as the yellow plane bearing a curved black-and-white symbol on its side descended, Vegeta stood his ground, clenching his jaw and never taking his eyes off the plane, though he remained astute to the presences to his sides and behind him. Even in the far ahead distance, he could sense another. They had to be fools if they thought they stood a chance against him, even in a group.

After the plane touched ground and the engine powered down, Vegeta peered through the clouds of kicked-up dust to see the pilot's door lifting open. When a dainty-looking creature leapt to the ground, he raised a brow incredulously. This was the Earthlings' representative? A woman? Oh, right. It was that same woman who flew to the scene of his first landing on Earth.

She clearly wasn't a fighter, and yet the Earth's warriors were hiding behind her. Stupid move. Her weakness wouldn't make Vegeta hesitate about killing her for one second, so the Earthlings were risking her life by sending her. _She_ was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to go along with their plan. But as she approached him, her blue hair swaying across her shoulders as her blue eyes glared with determination and she took deliberate strides, something told Vegeta this woman wasn't stupid.

When they came face to face, Vegeta looked the woman up and down, masking his face with indifference. "Nice of you to offer yourself as the first sacrifice, but I have more important people to kill before I move on to destroying the weaklings of this planet."

Vegeta was about to avert his gaze towards the distant mountains where the others were hiding, but the woman's smirk caught him by surprise. "Once you hear what I have to say, _Prince_ Vegeta, I think you'll change your mind about that."

Vegeta chuckled. "Oh? And what is it that you have to say? I'm _surrounded_? I should be _scared_? I should _leave_ your planet? Don't make me laugh."

The woman put her hands on her hips, exposing to Vegeta a small metallic box clasped in her palm he hadn't noticed before. "We know you're a Super Saiyan, and we know why you're here."

Vegeta smirked. "Do you?"

For a moment, the woman faltered, but she quickly masked the expression with a sly smile. "I'd like to invite you to stay at my home, Capsule Corporation, which is also Earth's greatest source of technology. It's where _this_ came from."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the small, metallic box the woman showed him as she opened her palm. He had no clue now where she was going with this. She seemed to be waiting for a response, but after looking at the item, Vegeta quickly dismissed it and glared impatiently at the woman.

"Let me show you." The woman opened the small box before retrieving a pill-like item from inside and tossing it in the distance. "You might want to stand back."

"Tch!" Vegeta lost patience with her demonstration, raising his fist as he intended to call out a challenge to the eavesdropping cowards around them, but before he could open his mouth, the tiny device the woman had thrown to the ground exploded in a forceful cloud of dust that took him by surprise and pushed him back.

The woman smiled proudly as the dust settled to reveal a table full of prepared foods fit for a party. "Think of this as Earth's welcome gift."

Vegeta stared, completely flabbergasted by the unexpected offering of several meats, soups, cakes, and starches which were all coated with elaborate sauces. He was even more awestruck by how delicious it all smelled. Vegeta couldn't remember the last planet whose food seemed nearly as appealing as this one's. Maybe _this_ was what kept Kakarot so attached to the planet.

When Vegeta forced himself to stop staring at the feast and meet the woman's gaze again, she immediately met his look with a smile and a wink. "And there's plenty more where that came from."

Vegeta balked, catching himself and grunting in frustration as he realized he was allowing this display to distract him from his purpose. This wasn't what he came here for, and that woman damn well knew it!

Baring his teeth, Vegeta forced himself to turn his back on the tempting meal. "You think I can be appeased by a measly offering of food?"

The woman's mouth dropped, her eyes darting to the table of food as if someone would jump out from under it and save her, before her gaze returned to Vegeta again. Vegeta felt a small bit of satisfaction from her fear, but he couldn't stop himself from following her gaze to the table as well. Dammit, it all smelled too good to ignore!

Crossing his arms and raising his chin proudly, Vegeta took slow strides towards the table. "I'll accept your food, servant woman, but after I eat, I demand you take me to Kakarot's son."

As Vegeta reached for the food, the woman scoffed and glared at him irately. "Servant woman? My _name_ is Bulma!"

Before Vegeta could finish chewing his first tender, delicious bite of meat, two figures dashed full speed towards him from behind the mountains. Vegeta calmly ate and smiled in amusement as they descended to stand between him and the furiously glowering woman.

"Bulma! Be careful how you talk to this guy!" The scar-faced human admonished with a glance over his shoulder before turning a glare on Vegeta. "We don't want any trouble, Vegeta."

Pushing her way past the human and the other three-eyed fighter assuming a defensive stance by the human's side, the woman pointed a finger in Vegeta's face. "If this guy wants to stay at Capsule Corporation and accept my hospitality, Yamcha, he needs to know that I am his beautiful, generous host named Bulma. Bul…ma! Not 'servant woman'."

Vegeta laughed and tossed aside the bone from the meat he finished while reaching for another. "Whatever. As long as my servant brings the boy to me and keeps this food coming, I can settle for calling her whatever name works for her."

While Vegeta continued eating, the woman growled in frustration and lunged, but the humans held her back. Vegeta found it amusing that it actually took both of those weaklings to hold back a woman with hardly any significant power, but he was too busy eating to deal with her obstinacy or bother with taunting the Earthlings. He'd have plenty of time for that later. He'd have plenty of time for dealing with Kakarot's son and formulating his plans for the rest of the universe as well. He'd have plenty of time for everything now.

Vegeta was the strongest and therefore the one in charge on this planet. Earth was to be his first planet conquered. If he liked it here, he could extend his stay before moving on to rule the remainder of the universe. Which he most definitely would do.

* * *

A/N: In case any of you are speculating and thinking ahead about this story as I am, there are some facts I want to point out that will have a drastic effect on the 'android/cell saga'. In this A/U, Dr. Gero was killed by Raditz in Earth's purge. Not only would he have been killed, but his work would have been destroyed in the purge. Even if some of his work survived the purge and he was able to put the pieces together and resume his work, his motivation after being revived has to be taken into consideration. Originally, he was after revenge against Goku. But after being killed and having his life's work destroyed, I'd think he'd hold a bigger grudge against Raditz or possibly aliens in general. Not only that, but no great battles have taken place on Earth (the only ones were at the Lookout, which Gero wouldn't detect), so there would be no collecting of cells and monitoring the Z-fighter's fighting abilities for the creation of the androids. Also, we were never informed of how Goku contracted the heart virus, but obviously his life has played out very differently. He could or could not catch it in this universe. I haven't decided what Gero alternately would do at this point, but these are all the points I'm considering, so don't expect a similar android saga by any means.

On another note, a lot of reviewers on here ask questions and I try to PM replies to those, but as one reviewer suggested a couple of chapters back, it would be easier done through social media. So, I figured I should let you all know I'm on Tumblr now as maiikawriter. I'm new to using Tumblr, so you might have to be patient with me when it comes to responses and posts. But I will try to reply to any comments or questions there, as well as through PM.


	37. Meeting With the Prince

A/N: It's been a while since I've updated, but the new chapter is finally done. I had some writer's block with this chapter and didn't want to force out something that wasn't going to be good, so I appreciate those of you being so patient who have been waiting for this update.

* * *

From the outside, Capsule Corporation looked pretty much the same. From his vantage point in the sky, Gohan could see the familiar dome-shaped building, the same number of hustling bodies as usual on the lawn, and nothing really out of the ordinary. The only indication that Capsule Corp had changed severely from outside the place was the huge, unsuppressed ki Gohan could feel residing from within.

"Let's make this quick, little monkey." The deep voice beside him rumbled. "I've got to get you home before your mother finds out about this."

Gohan grimaced, looking to Dodoria with worry. He didn't know what was worse right now -preparing to face Vegeta, or having to face his mother if she ever found out he went Capsule Corp to meet with the Saiyan prince.

Gohan didn't know what Vegeta would ask of him. Well actually, he had a pretty good idea. It couldn't be much different than what Raditz wanted from his father. But if that was the case, this was going to be a very difficult meeting. Because there was no way he would ever agree to _anything_ Vegeta proposed. He knew he couldn't trust the Super Saiyan prince, not after seeing the way Raditz betrayed his father.

As he and Dodoria touched ground near the front door of Capsule Corp, Gohan took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's get this over with."

"Hell, yes." Dodoria banged a fist on the Capsule Corp door and glanced down at Gohan. "I want to spend as little time in Vegeta's presence as possible."

Gohan tilted his head. "You're scared of Vegeta, aren't you?"

Dodoria balked. "S-scared?"

"Yeah." Gohan clasped his hands behind his back and smiled at the big, monstrous looking, horned purple man. "It's okay to be scared sometimes."

"I am _not_ ," Dodoria clenched his fists and snorted through his nose, "scared of a monkey!"

"Oh! Isn't that a funny costume?" Gohan glanced towards the doorway, where a woman with blonde curls piled on her head was smiling at Dodoria. "You must be friends of Bulma's."

"Hi, Mrs. Brief." Gohan gave the smiling woman a curt wave. "It's me, Gohan."

"Oh! Goku's boy! I didn't recognize you in that new purple outfit." Mrs. Brief clapped her hands together before stepping aside. "Come in!"

Dodoria stepped past the woman in the doorway, sneering as he passed her, " _costume_. Pff."

"Can I get you boys something?" Mrs. Brief asked as she pranced by Gohan's side through the entrance of Capsule Corp. "Bulma's in the conservatory with the _prince_."

Gohan frowned. He hoped Bulma wasn't being left alone with Vegeta. He found it unsettling how Mrs. Brief used the term prince, as if Vegeta were someone they should be honored to have in their home. Hadn't anyone told her how dangerous the Saiyan was?

"Good." Dodoria nodded his head indicatively for Gohan to continue on with him, and then frowned at Mrs. Brief. "We'll be in the conservatory then. Buzz off, lady."

Gohan shook his head, not liking the way Dodoria addressed the nice lady, but then turned to her with a smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Brief."

"Aw, you're welcome, Sweetheart." Mrs. Brief gave Gohan a pat on the head. "Anytime."

"C'mon, kid!"

Gohan scurried away from Mrs. Brief, seeing that Dodoria was already several paces ahead of him. He didn't know his way around the massive Capsule Corporation; he'd never been to its conservatory. Dodoria had visited a few times since Vegeta settled into the place, but Piccolo had strictly forbidden Gohan from going there since Vegeta's return to Earth a few days ago. That was, until now, when even Piccolo had to admit that there was no more holding off from Vegeta's demands to see him.

When they entered the conservatory, Gohan could see Vegeta's spikes of black hair protruding from the back of a throne-like carved wooden chair in the center of the massive room. It looked like Vegeta was doing nothing but sitting there, staring into space. Even closer to the entryway, Gohan noticed Bulma, seated at a small desk with her elbows braced against the desktop and her chin resting in her palm, a look of boredom on her face. Papers were stacked in front of her, which she had apparently been perusing, but it didn't look like they were holding her attention any longer. Off in the distance, facing a wall with his hands in his pockets and a brooding expression on his face, stood Yamcha in casual, everyday clothes with Puar floating by his side.

Gohan slowed his steps as he approached, the nearness of Vegeta making him grow nervous. He almost forgot about Dodoria, but he was fairly certain Dodoria stopped at the doorway. Gohan was _pretty sure_ Dodoria was scared of Vegeta and just wouldn't admit it. As Gohan continued his approach, he could see Vegeta's head turn to the side, as if he sensed and was listening intently to Gohan's every step and breath.

Bulma slowly lifted her head when Gohan neared her, a brilliant smile forming on her face as soon as she saw him. "Gohan!"

Gohan smiled warily, not wanting to use his voice in such close proximity to Vegeta, though it was obvious now that Vegeta knew he was there. Bulma grimaced and glanced behind her, realizing too late that she'd given him away. But Gohan knew that didn't matter, anyways.

"It's about time." The prince's mocking voice carried through the room without him even needing to raise his voice or turn to face Gohan. "You seem to have just as bad a sense of timeliness as your father."

Gohan scowled and clenched his fists, controlling himself carefully as Piccolo had instructed. "I'm a lot like my father."

"That's good." Vegeta stood from his throne, still keeping his back to Gohan. "Because if you take after your human side too much, you'll be useless to me."

Gohan grit his teeth, noticing Bulma was glaring at Vegeta as well. "Humans _aren't_ useless."

Vegeta laughed, then turned to face Gohan, and laughed again when he saw the incensed looks on their faces. "So say the _humans_."

Bulma growled and shook her fist as she stood from her chair. "Listen, Vegeta! I've had enough of-"

"Shut up, Woman!" Vegeta raised his palm in threat, causing Bulma to recoil and whimper in fear behind her desk.

Gohan stepped in front of Bulma, glaring at Vegeta in spite of his fear and the possibility that Vegeta was just as likely to shoot a blast of ki through him. "Leave her alone."

"As long as she stays out of this." Vegeta sneered towards the woman standing to her feet again behind Gohan. "This is between you and me, Brat."

"Gohan," Bulma huffed, "you don't have t-"

Before Vegeta could react again, as Gohan could already see his temple throbbing at the interruption, Gohan rushed to answer. "I'm fine, Bulma. Vegeta's right. Whatever he has to say to me, it doesn't concern you."

"Oh. So the little half-breed _does_ have some nerve." Vegeta chuckled and stepped down from his pedestal. "This is quite the turn of luck. Fortune just keeps favoring me. I can make a warrior of you yet."

"I'm already a warrior." Gohan said proudly, smiling as he recalled all the training he'd received from Piccolo and Dodoria. "A warrior from Earth."

"You're a capable fighter, and your power is decent for the spawn of a third-class Saiyan, I'll give you that." Vegeta shrugged with a smirk on his face. "But _you_ are no warrior. Not like I need you to be when you're going to help me conquer the universe."

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not leaving Earth."

Vegeta's smirk fell into a hard glare. "You will do what I tell you to do. _I_ am now the legendary Super Saiyan, and _no one_ can defy me!"

A surge of light filled the room as Gohan became overwhelmed with the amount of power flooding his senses. It was unbelievable that anyone could be that powerful! Clenching his eyes shut from the blinding light, Gohan heard Bulma and Puar scream while Dodoria and Yamcha both grunted loudly. Bangs and crashes sounded throughout the massive room, from items being blown back by Vegeta's massive surge of power. The pulse of power that surged through that tiny conservatory nearly blew Gohan off his feet, but Gohan firmly planted his feet in the ground and opened his eyes to see the glowing yellow aura surrounding Vegeta, whose hair had turned a shade of gold and whose eyes were now an eerie shade of teal.

Gohan scowled stubbornly, clenching his teeth as he refused to back down, even to a Super Saiyan, even when he was trembling inside. "You're a monster."

Vegeta smiled, flashing his teeth as he spread his arms, opening his palms to put his powerful transformation on display. "Being a monster is fine by me, because it means I am the most powerful warrior in the universe."

"If you're so powerful, then what do you need me for?"

Vegeta smiled, and to Gohan's surprise, it almost looked sincere. "You're the only Saiyan left besides me. That makes you a very important young man."

Gohan shook his head stubbornly. "My dad's coming back."

Vegeta frowned, glancing at Bulma as he narrowed his eyes. "I'll deal with him when the time comes. Kakarot is no longer a threat to me."

"Wanna bet?"

Gohan gasped as he spun towards Bulma's voice, wondering what she was thinking by challenging Vegeta. His eyes widened as he sensed, along with the rising tension in the room, the approach of two high power levels. The other warriors were flying towards Capsule Corporation, likely in response to Vegeta's alarming power surge.

"Goku will come back all right," Bulma braced her hands on her hips and glared at Vegeta, "and when he does, he's going to kick your ass!"

Vegeta laughed and shook his head, before he glared back at Bulma and moved towards her. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble, _Bulma_."

Bulma grimaced, taking a stumbling step back as Vegeta came closer with his finger raised towards her chest. When Vegeta nearly touched her, Bulma wiped the grimace from her face and grasped Vegeta's pointing finger, caressing his hand and causing Vegeta's face to falter with a look of bewilderment. "May _be_. But maybe it's already getting _you_ in trouble, Vegeta."

Gohan blinked as he watched Vegeta become frozen by a few simple words and a weird look from Bulma. Trying to read the situation, Gohan glanced behind him at Dodoria, but Dodoria was frowning and looking just as baffled as he was.

"Did-" Yamcha's voice startled Gohan, causing him to whip his head towards his dumbfounded older friend, "did Bulma just _flirt_ with Vegeta?"

Puar floated closer to Yamcha, letting her tail sag low as her mouth hung open. "I…think _so_."

Vegeta growled and batted Bulma's hand away, his face turning bright red. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of this, Woman?"

Bulma crossed her arms, lifting her chin in the air as she closed her eyes haughtily. When Vegeta turned away from Bulma, Gohan furrowed his brows as he tried to comprehend what was happening, but this was all over his head now. One minute, he was having a tense confrontation with Vegeta, and now, _this_ was happening. And now…oh. Gohan looked up towards the conservatory ceiling, above which he could sense the arriving powers. Now they were all here.

A smile slowly formed on his face. "Piccolo."

A groan sounded from Dodoria behind him. "What do _they_ think they're going to do?"

"Listen, scum," Vegeta snapped as he stormed towards Gohan, "I'm going to need someone like _you_ at my side polishing my boots and calling me Lord Vegeta. So get your shit packed."

Gohan sneered defiantly. "No."

"No?" When Vegeta growled, Gohan felt a flash of pain before he even knew what had happened. Belated gasps and screams filled the room as his body was thrown through the wall, making a loud crash while Gohan grunted in pain.

Gohan climbed to his feet from the position he had fallen in, bracing himself on all fours. Clutching his aching chest, he lifted his head to see Vegeta glaring down at him. "Let's hear that answer again, boy."

Twitching at another spasm of pain, Gohan grit his teeth and met Vegeta's threatening gaze. "No."

Gohan saw Vegeta spin around, his leg coming at Gohan like a blur before the pain struck this time. But there was still no time for him to defend from the blow to the side of his head. He crashed into another wall and landed on his back, eliciting more screams and gasps from their audience before he heard a crash of glass from overhead.

"Piccolo," Dodoria's voice called, "don't be stupid!"

Gohan clenched his eyes shut and blinked repeatedly, trying to focus his hazy vision as he struggled to get up, to no avail. He couldn't see clearly what was going on around him, but what he could see were flashes of movement in his peripherals as he laid on his back, and a broken window in the roof of the conservatory overhead. He could hear crashes and Piccolo's powerful attack scream, then Vegeta's laughter.

As the sound of footsteps approached, Gohan opened his eyes to recognize two gold-toed boots landing by his face. Then before he could react, a fist dug into the lapel of his gi top, dragging him to his feet by the material. Gohan groaned as the movement caused him to feel the aching throughout his entire body from those massive blows.

Vegeta slapped Gohan's face, forcing him to open his eyes and look at Vegeta. "Bow your head to me now, half-breed, and I will spare you."

Gohan groaned again, his mouth falling agape as he refused to do what Vegeta ordered, even if it meant his life.

Vegeta bared his teeth. "As a child of the warrior Saiyan race, you are supposed to have unfeeling blood flowing through you. Show me that you are a Saiyan!"

Gohan closed his eyes, wishing for the pain to end, but also hoping Vegeta would not decide to end him in that moment. He refused to be what Vegeta wanted him to be. He saw how different his dad was when he came back to Earth, and whatever happened to him, Gohan didn't want the same fate. He couldn't leave his mom alone either, not when his dad was still dead.

She needed him. The Earth needed him. Gohan had to stand up to Vegeta. He couldn't tolerate this monster bullying everyone on the entire planet, just because he tapped into some great power that Gohan was sure his father was going to tap into anytime now. Gohan couldn't step aside and let Vegeta do what he wanted with their planet! With all the will he had, Gohan gathered energy into his palms, opening his eyes and glaring at Vegeta before he let loose a scream and thrust forward a point-blank surge of ki.

Vegeta screamed at the surprise attack, as did the others, after the fact. Gohan was released and rolled backwards from the force of the blast, tumbling along the debris-littered ground of the conservatory to come to a halt with a grunt. He smiled when he stopped, in spite of the fact that he was in so much pain he couldn't move. He had managed to strike Vegeta, and when he lost consciousness, he hoped that it had been enough. If anything, at least he made his answer clear.

* * *

Piccolo groaned, bracing one hand on his knee as he struggled to rise from the brief losing bout he'd had with Vegeta upon entering the conservatory, and then the massive blow of Gohan's power. He didn't know the kid had that much power in him, and at that close range, it was possible that he could have even severely damaged the Super Saiyan. But Piccolo knew Vegeta wasn't finished. Hissing through his teeth, Piccolo managed to rise to both feet, shaking a fallen chunk of drywall from his shoulder as he watched others emerging from the rubble.

On the other side of the conservatory, Yamcha pushed aside a toppled desk and helped Bulma climb out from under it. "You okay, Bulma?"

Bulma shook the dust from her hair and sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Reckless kid." Dodoria grunted as he tore away a stick protruding from his bleeding shoulder. "He should warn us if he's going to pull a stunt like that. He's just like his stupid father."

Piccolo grunted, trying to ignore Dodoria and his ignorant remarks as he searched for the two people he was truly concerned about, Vegeta and Gohan. They all had to be prepared for Vegeta's inevitable, furious reaction, but more importantly, Piccolo had to find Gohan and make sure he was all right. He could barely sense the kid's energy after that blast, and wherever Gohan landed, he seemed to be buried in rubble.

"Where's Gohan?" Yamcha asked, just as Tien was landing in the conservatory by his side.

Piccolo sneered at the two of them. He could see why Vegeta thought of the humans as useless. Piccolo had viewed them as people to rule over for the longest time, but thanks to Gohan, he could actually see the good in them shining through now. That shine was more of a rare occasion for some humans than others.

"Where's," Bulma gulped and wrung her hands together, "Vegeta?"

"Right here!"

Bulma screamed as the rubble in front of her exploded outwards with a blast of ki, knocking her falling back on her butt. When Vegeta sprang from the rubble, the warriors all braced themselves in defensive stances. Except Gohan, who Piccolo was still frantically searching for. Piccolo's eyes bulged when he finally spotted a brown tail peeking out from a pile of broken pieces of drywall.

"Where is that kid?" Vegeta seethed, his eyes red and bloodshot as he frantically turned his head.

Pieces were blown away from Vegeta's armor, he had holes in his knees of his uniform, and his hair was in disarray as he presented himself once again in his usual dark coloring, the super saiyan transformation lost from Gohan's attack.

Piccolo intently stepped between Gohan's location and Vegeta, hoping Vegeta wouldn't notice where the kid was. Piccolo knew it was a bad idea, sending the kid here. There was no way this was ever going to end well. Piccolo glanced at Bulma, meeting her gaze as she gasped in recognition of the look he was giving her.

They would have to use those Dragonballs soon, or find some other plan to follow, or the Earth was doomed. Piccolo knew it, and he was sure Bulma knew it. They couldn't keep up this charade of playing host to a murderous Saiyan. Piccolo just hoped Goku was ready to come back, because aside from wishing for Goku's return, Piccolo didn't know what else they could wish for to save the Earth. Of course, coming up with ideas would be a lot easier when he wasn't staring down Vegeta, like he was doing right now.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "What are you hiding, Green man?"

"From you?" Piccolo smirked. "Nothing you care about."

"Oh, but I do care," Vegeta laughed, almost maniacally as he took a single step towards Piccolo, "I take good care of my underlings, unlike a certain hideous, reptilian has-been. Isn't that right, Dodoria?"

Dodoria grunted, surprised by Vegeta's address. "From what I've heard, Vegeta, you treated your underlings like shit. I mean, the things you would do to Radi-"

"Shut up!"

Dodoria jumped as Vegeta's small blast of ki whirred past his face and through the wall behind him, passing only inches from his bulging eyes. "Damn!"

As his hand fell to his side, Vegeta's eyes drifted from Dodoria, back to Piccolo. "This time is going to be different."

"Sure." Piccolo nodded sardonically. "You'll treat him like one of your own, won't you?"

"That's right." Vegeta smiled and braced his hands on his hips. "Because he _is_ one of my own. He and I are the last survivors of an ancient race. That makes us sort of like brothers."

"Well, forgive me for being cynical," Piccolo said, "but I don't trust you to be the type who'd take care of your brother."

"Hn." Vegeta crossed his arms. "My patience only goes so far. That boy needs to learn to show his respect and loyalty."

Vegeta glanced around the room, scowling at what he saw and tapping a finger against his bicep. "The kid's got _one_ day to reconsider his answer, and if he says no again, I'll kill him."

Piccolo glared firmly at Vegeta, wishing he could strike the Saiyan down right that minute for making that threat. But he knew he couldn't. Reading Piccolo's expression, Vegeta smirked. "I can't have another Saiyan loose in the universe, who might one day try to surpass me and bring me down, now can I?" Vegeta turned to Dodoria. "I _won't_ repeat Frieza's mistakes."

Dodoria groaned, but whatever he was thinking, he knew better than to voice it. Piccolo had to assume it was how foolish Vegeta was. If Vegeta managed to bring Gohan along with him, Gohan would surely take him down one day. There was no doubt about that in Piccolo's mind. Of course, Piccolo had no intentions of letting that happen. He didn't want Gohan to endure a life of killing in space. He'd grown to care about the kid over the past couple of years they'd spent together. Piccolo would die before he'd let anything bad happen to that kid.

"Now, since none of you weaklings on this pathetic planet are capable of giving me a decent spar, I'm going to do some training on my own." Vegeta smirked. "But don't worry. I'll be back."

Piccolo looked up as Vegeta blasted away in a white haze, disappearing through the conservatory ceiling hole Piccolo created when barging in to defend Gohan.

Bulma grumbled, causing Piccolo to lower his gaze and see that she was gazing up at the same thing he was. "Would you mind coming in another way next time, Piccolo? We're going to have to fix that."

Yamcha kicked aside a fallen tomato plant still wound around its spike. "You're going to have to fix this whole _room_ , Bulma."

Piccolo pushed his way between Bulma and Yamcha, wondering how the fools could even think of the damage to the room when Gohan was still laid unconscious somewhere. When he spotted it again, Piccolo went for the tail, grabbing it to pull the boy from the wreckage.

Bulma gasped. "Gohan!"

Piccolo growled when he saw the boy's swollen, bruising and bleeding face. "Tien! Give me a senzu bean!"

Piccolo put Gohan gently down as Tien's footsteps hurried over to them. With his gaze fixed on Gohan's slightly parted lips, Piccolo reached out his hand to receive the senzu. He had taken them from Korin, and given some to Tien in preparation for an encounter such as this. The sack _he_ carried had been torn from his waist somewhere in the midst of his attacking Vegeta and receiving the backlash of Gohan's blow. But that was why they came prepared.

When he felt the small bean pressed against the center of his palm, Piccolo clutched his fingers around it and smiled in relief. "Here, Gohan. Take this."

Bulma fell to her knees by Piccolo's side, and they both sighed in relief as Gohan began chewing on the bean deposited on his tongue.

Bulma clasped her hands together, smiling as she leaned forward. "That's it, Gohan."

The bruises cleared, the swelling shrunk, and all that was left visible of the damage were blood stains and Gohan's torn fighting attire, designed to look just like Piccolo's. Piccolo smiled as Gohan opened his eyes, meeting Piccolo's gaze before anyone else's.

"Mr...Piccolo?"

"Yeah, kid. Glad you decided not to die on us."

"I," Gohan sat up, shaking his head in his confusion, "I thought I killed Vegeta."

Dodoria scoffed from clear across the room. "No such luck, Kid."

"His _highness_ just stormed off to sulk alone, though," Bulma said, "after you kicked his ass pretty good, Gohan."

Piccolo frowned and stood to his feet, along with Gohan. He couldn't agree with Bulma about Vegeta sulking. By the amount of power he could still sense from Vegeta, even after taking that hit, Vegeta could have easily finished off Gohan, and the rest of them.

Most of the fools on Earth still had no idea what they were dealing with here. Piccolo took a sidelong glance at Dodoria, finding him brooding and deep in thought as he stood with bleeding arms crossed and his back against the wall. Dodoria likely knew better than any of them what they were dealing with when it came to Vegeta.

Turning to Gohan's despondent frown, Piccolo forced a smile. "Keep being strong like that, Gohan. It's buying us some time. But I won't lie to you. Vegeta's going to keep testing you."

" _Testing_ him?" Yamcha spoke up indignantly from the other side of the room. "He just threatened to _kill_ Gohan next time! I won't stand by and watch my dead friend's only son get killed!"

"Well, that's nice. And how are _you_ going to stop that from happening?" With Yamcha rendered speechless by his words, Piccolo turned his gaze on Bulma. "How's that invention of yours coming along?"

Bulma's brows lowered from her surprised state to a determined expression as she sprang to her feet. "I'm working on it as much as I can, but Vegeta's been so demanding around here that I can hardly find the time to work on it. My Dad's on it right now."

Piccolo shook his head. "Not good enough."

Tien tucked his sack of senzu beans away and crossed his arms. "What is it that you're making, Bulma? And why can't we just wish Goku back?"

"My Dad's supposed to contact us when he's ready," Gohan said, giving Bulma a questioning look, "but you haven't heard from him yet, have you?"

Bulma frowned towards the ground. "No."

"And the device?" Piccolo pressed impatiently.

"Vegeta thinks I'm replicating his armor for him." Bulma smiled smugly and placed her hands on her hips. "But I'm using it to integrate a ki-restraining device. He'll wear the very thing that will take him down without even knowing it."

Piccolo scowled. "And what if he attacks when he's not wearing that armor?"

Bulma scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You _know_ he never takes that armor off."

"So why isn't it ready yet?"

"I need-" Bulma stopped, glancing at Gohan, then Tien, then Piccolo, "I haven't had a chance to test it. We can't expose it to Vegeta until we're absolutely sure it will suppress his power."

Piccolo raised a brow. He knew what Bulma was asking for. She needed a volunteer with a substantial amount of ki willing to be her test subject. Suppressing ki could be extremely dangerous, especially with an untested device. She could kill one of them.

"I notice you aren't bothering to look at _me_." Dodoria grumbled at Bulma from across the room.

Bulma narrowed her eyes at the purple alien. "That's because I know there's no point in asking you, and besides, your alien makeup has too many variables I can't calculate. Unless you'd _like_ to volunteer to try the suppressor and risk your life."

Dodoria wrinkled his nose, before scowling deeply at Bulma's taunting smirk. "You can be just as unpleasant as Vegeta sometimes, you know that?"

"I'd be willing to test it, Bulma, if you really think it's going to work." Gohan said, causing Piccolo to gasp, appalled by his suggestion. "But I don't think that armor would fit me."

Bulma glanced at Piccolo before frowning at Gohan. "It's…made to accommodate any size, Gohan, but…"

"I'll do it." Piccolo spat, turning away from the others as he grimaced and instantly regretted his offer.

Yamcha balked. "You're going to wear Saiyan armor?"

Piccolo's frown deepened as he met Tien's eyes, seeing both human warriors looking equally appalled by the idea. Now he was really regretting his decision to volunteer for this. They couldn't possibly be more appalled by the idea than he was. "Ugh. _Some_ body has to put it on."

Dodoria snorted. "That armor's not _Saiyan;_ it's Planetary Trade armor. All races working for Frieza wore it. I resent the fact that you Earthlings think of our uniform as something that came from that barbaric race of mo-"

Piccolo growled and cast Dodoria a glare, warning Dodoria to keep his mouth shut before he could use that derogatory term in front of Gohan again. He knew the guy used it often, and Gohan probably didn't understand its meaning well enough to take offense to it, but Piccolo still wasn't going to let that low-life alien insult the kid like that.

"Oh. _Sorry_ , Dodoria." Tien rolled his eyes. "That makes the armor so much better."

"Right," Yamcha snorted, "because it belongs to a _different_ group of cold-blooded murderers."

"As long as you know the difference."

"So," Bulma tapped a finger of the hand resting on her hip, "when will you be ready to try it out, Piccolo?"

Piccolo took a deep breath, meeting Gohan's curious gaze as he answered. "Whenever it's ready."

Vegeta was like a ticking time bomb that everyone was afraid to trigger. There was only so much more time they could play this game. The faster Bulma finished with her solution to the problem, the better. And the sooner Goku could come back to Earth, the better off they'd be.

In sharp contrast to what he would have thought a few years ago, Piccolo couldn't wait for Goku to make that call to be revived. If Goku held out on them much longer, Piccolo might just have to steal the Dragonballs and preemptively make the wish anyways. At least Vegeta had no idea where the balls were gathered, or how to find them. It was strange that Vegeta hadn't asked about them yet. It almost seemed like Vegeta _wanted_ to let them resurrect Goku. Piccolo didn't care to puzzle out the Saiyan's motivations, though, not as long as he could keep himself and his home planet safe from Vegeta.


	38. Time's Up

A/N: Wow, I didn't realize it's been almost a month since my last update of this story. I really thought I was getting this one out fast. But anyways, it's here now. Thank you to all the long-time loyal followers of this story for being so patient!

* * *

The gang all watched as Piccolo huffed from exhaustion, the ki-restraining armor visibly having taken its toll on him in the short instant Bulma activated it. But as Yamcha turned his gaze towards Bulma, he couldn't help feeling satisfied by this nearly sacrificial endeavor. As his girlfriend -or more like _estranged_ girlfriend, seeing that they really hadn't spent any time together since being revived from Earth's purge and weren't doing so hot before that either- turned over the yellow and white chest armor Piccolo had worn in her palms, she was busy putting the finishing touches on her device. It would work. It had to work.

As Gohan stood up from delivering Piccolo's senzu bean, he followed Yamcha's gaze, looking to Bulma. "Is it ready?"

Bulma took a deep breath and held it in. Yamcha immediately tensed. He knew her well enough to know _that_ was a bad sign. If it was working, she'd already be bragging about her amazing intellect. The fact that she was hesitating was unsettling.

With a heavy exhale, Bulma looked away from them, up towards the darkening evening sky. "I know what I need to do, but it still needs a few adjustments. And..."

Yamcha gnawed on his bottom lip, turning his gaze to Gohan as Puar, Bulma, Tien, Piccolo, and Dodoria all looked the same way.

The young boy blinked under all of the attention, his brown, furry tail innocently wagging behind him like Goku's always used to. "It's...getting late. Mom's going to be worried if I don't get home soon."

"Gohan..." Bulma trailed off, running a hand through her smooth, shoulder length blue locks as she looked pleadingly to Yamcha.

Yamcha startled, surprised by the attention himself, but he supposed if anyone had to be the bearer of bad news, he could do it. "Vegeta's going to be expecting your answer, Kid. I know Goku would never say yes, even with impossible odds, but maybe you should-"

"No." Gohan's tail slowly fell behind him as he clenched his fists and lowered his head. "You really don't think there's any way we can make Vegeta hold out a little longer?"

Bulma and Yamcha kept their mouths closed and shook their heads, which along with Tien, Piccolo and Dodoria's grim frowns, Gohan clearly understood. Yamcha frowned sympathetically at the kid. This just wasn't right.

"Then I'll just have to fight him," Gohan said, "special armor or not."

Yamcha sighed, looking up to the sky again. The dark was creeping in quickly, and he could just imagine how Chi-Chi must be having a fit back at Mt. Paozu. She _really_ wasn't going to like it if she had any idea what her son was in for later in the evening. With another sigh, Yamcha braced his hands behind his head, noting the first star that started twinkling in the sky.

"Gohan," Piccolo's gruff voice interrupted Yamcha's musings, "you can't possibly fight Vegeta tonight. You'll lose."

"I have to do _something_ , Piccolo! We can't just let him take over the universe because he's a Super Saiyan."

"But maybe by agreeing to go with him for the time being," Tien furrowed his brows and crossed his arms, "you can save yourself and buy more time. Just until your dad gets back."

"Sorry, Tien." Gohan said firmly. "But I just can't do that. Not even for a minute."

Yamcha furrowed his brows, concentrating his gaze in the sky as he crossed his arms. The starry constellations emerging through the sheet of darkness made Yamcha wonder about all those other planets out there, planets like theirs which had been conquered by Frieza. Gohan was right. They couldn't let Vegeta leave Earth, planning to pick up where Frieza left off. Yamcha really wished Goku would come back from the otherworld and then to Earth from whichever of those distant planets out there revived him.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yamcha's eyes went wide in realization at the thoughts of Goku before he turned to the others. "Isn't there supposed to be a full moon tonight?"

"Eee!" Bulma squeaked, her gaze immediately shooting to Gohan's wagging tail. "You mean-"

"The Saiyans' strength improves tenfold when they transform." Dodoria cackled. "And Vegeta _lost_ his."

"Ugh," Piccolo grumbled, "that gives him _some_ edge, but I still don't like this."

" _You've_ never seen Goku transform, Piccolo." Yamcha said knowingly, a confident smile easing across his face. "Believe me, even a Super Saiyan-"

"They're powerful, yeah." Dodoria interrupted with a pensive rub of his squared jaw, "but don't get carried away. If the giant apes were _that_ powerful, Lord Frieza never would've been able to keep the Saiyans under his control."

Bulma raised a brow. " _Lord_ Frieza?"

Dodoria shrugged. "Force of habit."

"But," Tien said, "Gohan's probably more powerful now than any Saiyans were back then. His current strength? Increased tenfold?" Tien shrugged. "He'll have a better chance than any of us of standing up against a Super Saiyan."

Yamcha watched Gohan glance back at his tail before taking a hesitant glance at the moonless sky. The moon was due to show soon, Yamcha just knew it. Of course, the idea of seeing that monster again brought chills to his spine. It couldn't be any worse than a Super Saiyan deadset on conquering the universe, though. At least this way, Goku's son would have a chance.

Gohan swayed his tail one more time before looking up at the moon with determination. "I'll do it. Just...promise me you'll all stay back. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Exchanging a glance with Puar hovering by his side, Yamcha laughed, "You don't have to tell _us_ twice."

"I can handle it." Dodoria scoffed.

"Yeah." Bulma chuckled, patting Dodoria on the back. "Good luck with that. _I'm_ going inside where it's safe. Be careful, Gohan!"

Yamcha turned to follow Bulma, meeting Gohan's gaze and giving him one last smile of encouragement before turning away. Gohan looked so determined, so ready for battle in that moment, that Yamcha couldn't get over the nostalgia of being with little Goku. He missed his old friend, and he hoped for Goku's sake, that his son was just as hard to defeat as he always was.

* * *

The meat was delicious, a cow or some-other animal. He would demand this one again. As Vegeta licked the delicious juices from his lips, his face still buried in his plate, he turned his eyes up at the shaking staff members standing over him.

"This. Tomorrow, I will have more."

"B-but," a woman with brown hair in an apron and tight bun stuttered, "didn't you say you were leaving tomorrow, L-Lord Vegeta?"

Vegeta sat back in his chair, chuckling at the satisfying feeling of hearing the terrified servants use his newly deemed title. The only one in Capsule Corporation he had been unable to make use that title was that stubborn woman.

"Ve~ _geta_!"

Speaking of which, he turned slowly to address the woman owning that sing-song voice. "Bulma. Is the boy here? It's time for him to make his decision."

"Yes," she giggled through her teeth, tapping her fingers together, "about that. He's _here_ , but before you get to that messy business, maybe I can interest you in something that may make you reconsider leaving Earth so soon. There's still so much you haven't-"

A deafening roar from outside made Vegeta, Bulma, and the servants snap their heads towards the door through which Bulma had just entered. Bulma and the servants stumbled back, their knees shaking as there was a second roar and the ground beneath them quaked.

Vegeta snorted and smirked. "So _that's_ his answer, then. Does he really think he can stand a chance against the great Vegeta by using the lesser transformation of the great ape?"

"C-" Bulma blinked, grasping the back of the chair in front of her, " _can't_ he?"

Vegeta turned his growing smirk on Bulma. "Would you like to see how even the great ape will fall at my feet?"

"Ah!" Bulma whimpered with chattering teeth, clasping her hands together and backing away.

Vegeta laughed and turned away, preparing to leave when that voice surprisingly called out again. "You...you leave Gohan _alone_! He's just a kid!"

Balking in surprise, Vegeta stopped short. That woman knew Vegeta packed infinitely more power in his pinky than she did in her entire body, and yet she had the audacity to give him orders. He would never admit it, but he was going to miss that woman's spunk when he left Earth.

Vegeta turned his head just slightly. "He's a _Saiyan_. It's time I treat him to act as one."

As Vegeta raised a hand and blasted a hole through the doorway of the massive dining room, making a dramatic show of his exit, he heard the woman scream from behind him. "Vegeta!"

When Vegeta turned the corner from the torn-open wall, he faced the exit to Capsule Corporation with a growing smile. He never thought he'd have the opportunity to fight _against_ a Great Ape, especially not to test his new transformation. This kid was turning out to be more interesting than Vegeta had anticipated. He _almost_ hoped the kid would survive this, though he highly doubted it. That was fine. Vegeta didn't need underlings anyways. He could conquer the universe just fine on his own. He was, after all, a Super Saiyan.

* * *

Watching Vegeta leave from the crumbling exit of her dining room, Bulma grit her teeth. She didn't think their plan was going to work, not without her ki-draining armor ready. After sacrificing her dignity by catering to that egotistical jerk, welcoming him into her home, and introducing him to Earth's finest cuisine like some sort of servant, she was _not_ just about to sit back and watch him kill her friends and then leave the Earth to conquer space anyways. She wasn't letting all her hard work go to waste. If they were out of time, then so was Goku. No more waiting.

With a determined grunt, Bulma stood and marched for the room where the Dragonballs were securely held. She would take them outside and summon Shenron. The darkness of the night sky outside and rampaging giant ape would be enough of a distraction that Vegeta might not even notice they were summoning the dragon.

After she ran through the halls of Capsule Corporation and stormed out into the night air with her sack of Dragonballs, a gruff voice surprised her at the doorway. "What are you doing?"

Bulma jumped as she whirled on her intruder. "Geez, Dodoria! I'm surprised you're not watching the fight."

"What for? I'm not going to do any good there. Besides, once you've seen one giant ape, you've seen them all."

"Oh, I don't know," Bulma huffed, cinching her grip on the strap of her canvas sack as she trudged ahead, "ever heard of moral support?"

Dodoria followed by her side, a stoic frown on his face. "No."

"Dammit, you're annoying. Take a hike!"

Dodoria narrowed his eyes. "You have the Dragonballs, _don't_ you? You're going to make a wish."

Bulma's eyes bulged as they passed one particular dome-shaped structure on the Capsule Corp lawn that was blocking their view of the fight. The dull roaring and thumping in the background hadn't bothered her, but now that she could see that chilling sight of a giant ape and the glowing light of a Super Saiyan in the distance, their proximity was more alarming. She needed to get out of there before the fight became any more destructive.

Gritting her teeth, Bulma turned her attention back to Dodoria's question. "Yes, Dodoria. Okay? I'm making the wish! But I need you to get me away from here so I can summon Shenron safely."

"Oh, _ho_!" Dodoria raised his chin and braced his hands on his hips. " _Now_ look who's lacking moral support."

"I'm trying to save all our asses by getting Goku back here, you idiot!"

"Goku?" Dodoria smiled and gestured a thumb over his shoulder. "Well, hop on. I'll fly you somewhere where we can _both_ make the wish."

Bulma narrowed her eyes. She didn't trust that alien and his sly smile. She knew he was somewhat friendly with Goku, and he was definitely against Vegeta and scared shitless of Frieza while he was still around, but the dragon's offer of a wish could be pretty tempting.

"Just remember, Dodoria. Shenron will only grant _one_ wish, and then no other wishes can be made for the year."

"Yeah, yeah. What do you think I'm gonna do? Try and wish for something else?"

Bulma raised her brows, telling Dodoria with her eyes that it was exactly what she thought he might do, but if he picked up on her message, he failed to acknowledge as much. With a dismissive roll of her eyes, she climbed on Dodoria's high back by grasping his broad shoulders tightly while carefully evading the black horns protruding straight out of the sides of his head. If _she_ were Dodoria, she'd be wishing those horns away, and maybe for some hair to cover that lumpy bald head of his.

As they took off into the hair, cold wind whipping through her hair as she clung to Dodoria'a back and the sack in her arms for dear life, Bulma noted some movement in the sky in her peripheral vision. When she turned her head that way, she recognized Yamcha, Piccolo and Tien flying their direction. Great. Now someone was bound to fight her on resurrecting Goku before King Kai contacted her to say he was ready.

"Hey." Tien, flying right up to Bulma and Dodoria's side, was the first to speak as the others flew over. "That fight is pretty intense over there."

"And we can't seem to get through to Gohan." Piccolo complained from the flanks. "He's like a mindless animal."

"Yeah," Yamcha glanced at Bulma, past Tien, "just like Goku used to get."

"Heh." Dodoria chuckled. "Typical of third class mon-" a glance at Piccolo's furious glower and Dodoria amended, "Saiyans."

"So you all just _abandoned_ him?" Bulma yelled. "Get back out there and do something!"

" _What_ ," Yamcha snapped, "like get eaten?!"

"Or more likely," Tien crossed his arms, "blown to bits."

"Wimps." Bulma pursed her lips, shaking her head as she took a curious glance towards the scene of the fight. An agonized roar from Gohan as Vegeta's blazing light swarmed around his massive form had her very worried. It was like having to watch Goku at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament again. Except this time, the guy blasting at Gohan was actually intent on murder and capable of killing him.

"We can do more good for Gohan over here, Bulma." Piccolo said. "We'll all make sure the _right_ wish is made to the eternal dragon."

Bulma narrowed her eyes, looking over her shoulder at Piccolo. "And what wish would _that_ be?"

She was sure he was going to stop her from reviving Goku, maybe tell her to wish for Gohan's strength to be improved or Vegeta to instantly fall ill. Well, that wasn't going to cut it. It was time Goku came back and handled this mess that stemmed from _his_ heritage and _his_ jerk prince, anyways. He had to be a Super Saiyan by now. He just had to.

"We're reviving Goku." Dodoria said. "If anyone is ready to face Vegeta, it'll be him."

"Even though he never contacted us?" Tien asked.

"What if he's not ready?" Yamcha asked, exchanging a worried glance with Bulma.

When Bulma checked behind her, she saw Piccolo's brows lower as a smirk crossed his face. "Goku's _always_ ready for a fight."

"Yeah." Tien looked just as enthused as Piccolo. "I bet Goku's ready and he just wanted to squeeze in a few more techniques before coming back."

"Either way," Bulma said as Dodoria began descending, thankfully a good distance from the continuing fight, "the time for training is up."

The clatter of several footsteps landing on the ground sounded as everyone touched ground, each of them glancing nervously in the direction of the distant fight each time the sky lit up or another roar or explosion sounded. It was awful that they were all putting this on the shoulders of a little kid, even if he wasn't really aware of anything going on right now.

Bulma stepped forward with her sack clutched to her chest, before setting it lightly on the ground, the Dragonballs rattling as they settled. When she pulled the flap back to expose the pulsing light of the orange balls, quiet gasps came from the men behind her.

Bulma stepped back and took a deep breath. "This is it."

Yamcha patted a hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead, Bulma."

"I have a bad feeling about this plan." Piccolo grumbled. " _You_ make the wish, and do it quickly. Dodoria and I are going to make sure Gohan's all right."

"I'm not going over there."

Tien smirked at Dodoria's grimacing face. "Just 'cause you're scared of Vegeta doesn't mean you get to chicken out, Dodoria."

"I'm _not_ scared of Vegeta!"

"Then come on!" Piccolo yelled before levitating into the sky and giving Dodoria an insistent glare.

Dodoria sneered towards the Dragonballs, but reluctantly took off. Bulma shot Piccolo an appreciative smile just before the two of them zoomed in a blaze of white to the wake of the destruction. She was pretty sure Piccolo had the same suspicions she did about Dodoria. Now she knew she could wish Goku back to life without any complications.

"All right," Bulma raised both palms over the glowing balls, "Eternal dragon, by your name I summon you forth! Shenron!"

The glowing orbs pulsed with a nearly blinding light as Bulma marveled at the sight with Tien and Yamcha by her side. As sparks of lightning lit the sky, the dragon's tail shot from the Dragonballs, into the air, growing and winding and filling the night sky. When Shenron finally looked down upon them with a growl, Bulma felt a shiver crawl down her spine. The massive, sharp-toothed face of Shenron was always a terrifying sight to behold.

A growl rumbled from Shenron, drowning out the noises of the fight in the distance. "You have disturbed me from my slumber. Speak and name your wish."

Bulma clenched a fist, stepping forward and looking up at Shenron with determination. "We wish our friend, Goku back to life!"

Shenron's eyes widened before they blazed red. "So be it. Your wish has been granted."

Bulma gasped, stepping back as she watched the night sky flash again, the dragon disappearing into a beam of light that shot into the atmosphere before the Dragonballs levitated away from them.

"Oh!" Tien ran forward, stopping abruptly when the balls exploded apart from each other to separate corners of the world.

Yamcha scratched his head. "Do you think it worked?"

"It always does." Tien said. "Think Gohan's okay?"

Bulma raised her gaze to the night sky, wishing that they could've returned Goku to Earth within that one wish. Now, it was a matter of waiting and trying to hold out until he arrived. Whatever Goku did, she knew he couldn't be on Earth in time to help Gohan win his battle against Vegeta. _She_ would have to do something to stop Vegeta, starting with working on that armor. Whatever else she could do to fill the gaps and keep the Saiyan prince out of trouble, she would.

"Piccolo and Dodoria are looking out for Gohan." Yamcha answered Tien. "Besides, he's a real resilient kid."

Bulma nodded and clasped her hands together. Gohan had to be all right. Even a Super Saiyan had to be struggling against a super-powered giant ape, and she suspected that Vegeta actually _liked_ Gohan, though he claimed otherwise. It was hard to believe he could just callously kill every other person he came across. He had to have a soft spot somewhere. And Goku - he was out in the universe now, hopefully another Super Saiyan on his way to Earth who could counter Vegeta's power. Bulma couldn't wait to have her old friend back on Earth, and there to stay.


	39. Revived

As South Kai relaxed in his lawn chair, sipping lemonade through a straw, he smiled at the improvements he was witnessing in Goku's training. As he watched, he realized that Goku seemed much more at ease in his movements in the new gi. South Kai had made it especially for him with his Kai symbol on the back. According to Goku, he used to wear something just like it back on Earth. Not that it mattered now, seeing that Goku was in Otherworld on a different side of the universe training for a much more significant tournament than any he'd ever attended on the human planet. This was going to be South Kai's best tournament yet.

Blinking to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him, King Kai tossed aside his full glass of lemonade on the lawn and stood to squint at the fading sight of the halo hovering over Goku's black spikes of hair. It was fading from existence. That halo which signified Goku's deceased status, and therefore admission to the tournament had disappeared! It could only disappear if Goku was alive again. But King Kai never contacted those Earthlings. This was too soon!

The tournament was still a few years away, and Goku was his best fighter. Just watching Goku out there, firing blasts at his inanimate targets as he practiced his new technique, King Kai knew he'd never have a stronger fighter to enter that tournament. He'd bragged to the other Kais already. If he lost his Saiyan fighter now, he was going to be the laughingstock among all the other Kais. Maybe, if he didn't say anything, Goku wouldn't notice.

"Hm?" Firing a final blast, Goku cocked his head and straightened his legs as his brows rose high on his forehead.

"What," King Kai chuckled, lifting the hem of his robe to wipe a fresh shine into his wide-lensed glasses, "what is it, Goku? Something wrong?"

When Goku's eyes drifted upward, though he couldn't possibly _see_ the lacking halo, King Kai grit his teeth and let out a high pitched whine. This couldn't be happening. Goku couldn't feel that he was alive again...could he?

"Hey!" Goku smiled. "I'm not dead anymore!"

King Kai growled and clenched his fists. "Damn those Earthlings!"

Goku snapped his gaze to King Kai. "Huh?"

"N-nothing." King Kai smiled and clasped his hands behind his back.

This was still okay. It could still work. He needed to breathe. He just needed to convince Goku to stay, and King Kai could still enter him in the tournament for the South. Though the tournament was meant for the dead, the others might not notice one of his competitors lacking a halo. But when his eyes shifted to Goku again, King Kai frowned at the look of excitement crossing his fighter's face.

"Yes!" Goku clenched his fist and narrowed his brows. "It's about _time_ they wished me back! I can't wait to fight Vegeta."

From King Kai's rebuilt, dome-shaped home, emerged Froug rubbing his bulging eyes. "What's going on?"

Behind him, Torbie followed, crossing his arms and scowling at Goku. "Who says you're fighting this _Vegeta_? You haven't even fought me yet."

King Kai scoffed. "Torbie, Goku hasn't fought you because it would be a waste of time. We all know you don't stand a chance against him. Why don't you give it a rest?"

Torbie balked, but before he could retaliate with a remark to the Kai, Froug stepped forward and pointed a rigid green finger in Goku's direction. "What in the world happened to your halo?"

King Kai pursed his lips and tensed his shoulders. "The Earthlings wished him back to life."

"That's right. They need my help." Goku looked around before gasping as his eyes went wide, then quickly narrowed. "I hope they can hold out a little longer without me. There's something I need to do before I head back to Earth."

"Right." King Kai beamed, relaxing his shoulders as he was hit with a wave of relief. "You need to fight in my Otherworld Tournament. I'm glad you haven't forgotten our arrangement, Goku, after all the training I-"

"Huh? Tournament?" Goku glanced at King Kai before narrowing his brow and raising his fingers to his forehead. "No, that's not it."

King Kai scoffed loudly. "But-but-"

With a growl, King Kai shook his head, while Torbie and Froug frowned curiously at one another. King Kai should've known not to trust a Saiyan to hold up his end of a bargain. That jerk was actually trying to instantaneously disappear with no thank you, no goodbye. That was fine, though. He was never going to leave Other World _that_ way.

Smugly, King Kai grinned and crossed his arms. "You're not going to find any life on the planets from _here_ , Goku. They're all desolate thanks to Frieza; even that planet you died on has been abandoned since your fight with him and Vegeta. And leaving here by flight, well," King Kai wagged his head haughtily, "it'll take you a while to get back. Might as well settle here until the time is right."

When Goku closed his eyes and his brow remained tightly knit in concentration, King Kai scowled. He looked to Froug and Torbie, who only raised their brows expectantly back at him. Pursing his lips, King Kai thought harder. Goku was probably contemplating taking that long journey so he could return to Earth. King Kai needed a more convincing argument to make Goku stay.

"Goku, I can't win this tournament without you." King Kai propped his hands on his hips. "Without _me_ , you never would have reached your full potential this quickly. Without _me_ giving you permission to stay here, you might be in Hell right now. Did you forget about that?"

"Ah." Goku smiled and opened his eyes, which darted towards King Kai even as his fingers remained locked in place. "Were you sayin' something, King Kai?"

"Wha-? Goku!"

"I don't have time to talk." Goku nodded towards the other two warriors. "Froug, Torbie, good luck at the tournament. Thanks for everything, King Kai."

"Goku!"

Before King Kai even finished shouting his name, the Saiyan vanished from his view. Falling to his knees, King Kai proceeded to whimper. He looked towards the sky, shaking his head with his large lips pursed in anger. The other Kais were going to mock him horrendously for losing his Saiyan fighter who should've been a shoe-in for the tournament.

King Kai's shoulders sagged as his head fell limply. "I'm never going to win that tournament."

A heavy hand fell on King Kai's shoulder. "You still have us, King Kai."

When King Kai looked up, he could see the smile and glare of determination on Torbie's face, and when he shifted his gaze, the uplifted smile Froug cast towards Torbie. What a couple of idiots.

Balling his fists and letting out a growl that developed to a gradual yell, King Kai shot to his feet. "Well, what are you two doing standing around, then? Get back to your training! Move it!"

* * *

As Goku lowered his hand to his side, he took in the dark, dingy surroundings of blown up buildings and wide-open, smog-filled sky left on the planet which had been used as their battleground. They really had done a number on Planet Frieza-something, or whatever it used to be called before Frieza took over. It looked even worse than Goku remembered. Of course, Frieza and Vegeta had continued their fight there without him after he was gone. For a brief moment, Goku clenched his fists and narrowed his brow. When he started that fight, he never intended to die. He was just glad Frieza was gone, though for all he knew, Vegeta could now be a bigger problem.

"Wh-where did you come from?"

Blinking, Goku turned to the voice of the being he'd almost forgotten. The one whose single, decent energy level he was able to detect from Otherworld. At the sight of the alien being, Goku raised a brow. The alien wore a helmet over his blue-skinned face, and had more of a snout than a nose peeking from beneath the helmet. As the shorter man blinked through his rapidly flickering, beeping red scouter, and then narrowed his eyes at Goku while reaching for his gun, Goku stared back blankly and scratched his temple.

"I-if you intend to harm me," the man grimaced, "I'll have you know I was sent here to retrieve some parts for the Planet Trade Organization."

"You're still working for them? Frieza's dead, you know."

The man balked, opening his mouth for argument, before his eyes widened in realization and a gasp escaped his lips. His knees began to knock together as his bottom lip trembled.

Removing his hand from his gun, the alien shook his head slowly. "Y-you're the Saiyan who killed him, aren't you?"

"No. Frieza killed me."

"Frieza… _killed_ you?"

"Yeah."

"K-killed…?"

Goku looked around, noticing the rubble of the buildings, a box filled with mechanical parts and busted pieces of spaceships, and a deserted, round silver spaceship about a mile behind his counterpart. That had to belong to the alien, as it was the only shining, dust-and-debris-free article on the planet. But Goku wasn't seeing what he needed. He really needed to get off this planet.

"Hey," Goku's gaze returned to the grimacing alien who seemed a few shades paler than the blue he was when Goku first set eyes on him, "have you seen any other spaceships around here still working?"

Stumbling backwards, the alien shook his head fervently, catching himself on the rubble upon which he fell. When he hurriedly got back up, keeping his eyes locked on Goku, Goku raised his brows expectantly. But instead of answering when Goku stepped forward, the alien screamed and ran away. Watching the alien's arms flail in the air as he retreated towards his spaceship, Goku frowned. But once the alien reached the spaceship and clambered inside, Goku had to laugh at the weird guy.

Raising his hand to rub the back of his head, Goku laughed a little louder. "Guess somethin' freaked him out. What a strange guy. And now he's taking the spaceship. Dammit."

As the boom and subsequent airy sounds of the spaceship taking off rattled the compact and scorched soil beneath his feet, Goku crossed his arms and levitated to get a better view of his surroundings. There had to be a working spaceship somewhere on the planet. But maybe he didn't need it. Earth was too far to sense from his location, but that wasn't where he was heading now anyways. He had one place to stop before returning home. He just had to trust that Gohan and the others were holding their own on Earth against Vegeta.

Just past the rubble of one of the buildings, Goku finally spotted a ship. He flew towards it at a leisurely pace as he rubbed his chin in thought. When he lowered to touch down beside the deserted spaceship, Goku closed his eyes and knit his brows together in concentration. He would get back to them sooner if he could avoid using a spaceship. Even though he had faith that the others could handle Vegeta on Earth without the use of brute strength, he would feel better once he was there.

"Concentrate." Goku told himself.

With his eyes closed and index and middle fingers pressed forcefully against his forehead, Goku could practically _see_ the wide expanses of starry space filling the void between his current location and other planets. Far past the nearest planets, there was life all around him, on several planets which were within reach. He tried to remember his training on Yardrat, reaching out to expand his senses further than he ever had. And when some familiar life forces hit his senses and made his body fill with warmth, a toothy grin crossed Goku's face.

"Yes! Got 'em!"

Within the blink of an eye, Planet Frieza #209 was once again a soulless wasteland.

* * *

Goku was back. Just –out of thin air- popped up in the middle of their training routine. Gaping at the unsettling appearance, Nail stumbled back with the other warriors stunned by the Saiyan's unexpected presence.

"Ah!" Goku narrowly dodged a strike from one of the sparring Namekians.

Nail stepped forward. "Goku!"

"Hey," Goku narrowed his eyes at the unfriendly glares he was receiving from the warriors who didn't know him, before turning his gaze to Nail, "you remember me."

"Of course we do."

Nail glanced over his shoulder to see his smaller brother stepping out from the archway of a tiny white abode with his innocent, wide eyes locked on Goku. Nail couldn't help smiling when he saw the smile on Dende's face, and then Cargot's behind him, even with the suspicious nature of Goku's return.

Not even sparing a moment to smile at the young ones, Goku narrowed his eyes at Nail. "Nail, I need to see Guru."

Nail frowned and crossed his arms. "That's impossible, Goku."

"I mean it, Nail. I don't have much time. I need to get back to Earth."

"You've _been_ all over the universe, it seems. But Frieza's actually dead."

"Yeah." Goku shrugged. "I was, too."

Nail smirked. "I know."

Goku's shocked expression didn't surprise Nail. Goku probably expected them to be more shocked to see him, but it was obvious that the ones on Earth had wished him back. What wasn't so obvious was how _Vegeta_ managed to come out as the victor during that fight which freed the universe of one tyrant, only to replace it with another.

At that time, Guru had smiled only for a moment when he shared with the others that he'd sensed Frieza's death. Then his expression turned grim when he had to tell them that Vegeta had ascended as a Super Saiyan and his character was still full of darkness. Not long after that, Guru passed on. Nail hated to think that all the senseless deaths on their planet, in addition to the ones Guru had been keeping track of in space, attributed to Guru's death. But he was certain that they did. It was painful to Guru, sensing that sort of devastation.

"Earth's dragon was actually used to revive me." Goku explained with his palm extended, as if anyone needed explanation.

"Oh, cool!" Cargot jumped forward, latching onto Goku's hand hanging loosely by his side. "Because there's another Namek on Earth, right?"

Goku raised two fingers in the air. "Two, actually. I kinda forgot about Piccolo the last time I was here."

"Two Nameks?" Dende cocked his head and then blinked at Cargot. "They don't feel lonely without other Nameks around?"

Goku chuckled. "They can barely stand each _other_."

Nail huffed. "Hm."

He couldn't help feeling curious about those other Nameks either. He wondered if they'd been training themselves on Earth, like the Nameks here had been doing ever since the Saiyans set foot on their planet. They were taking every possible precaution to avoid another incident of genocide. They were more than ready with several defenses.

"If you want to meet them sometime," Goku offered to the youngsters, "you can always visit Earth."

Cargot raised his brows in excitement. "Really?"

"Boys," a deep voice grumbled from the shadows within the abode behind Nail, "don't get ahead of yourselves. Earth is a very long ways away from Namek."

Nail turned with a smile to greet his elder. "Moori."

Moori bowed his head and smiled. "Hello, Goku."

"Hi. Can _you_ tell me where to find Guru, Old man?" Goku crossed his arms and cocked his head. "I need to ask him if I can use the Dragonballs."

Nail sputtered in disbelief, before lunging towards Goku in outrage. No one could use such a disrespectful tone with their elder. But to Nail's surprise, Moori lightly patted a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was so soft, yet powerful, causing Nail to seize in mid-lunge as he balked at his calmly smiling elder.

"Guru died, Goku." Dende clasped his hands together and lowered his head.

With a solemn frown, Cargot nodded. "Moori is our elder now."

Goku gaped as his eyes bulged in alarm. "So the Dragonballs are gone?!"

"No, not go-"

"Cargot!" Nail bared his teeth at the boy clapping his hand over his big mouth.

Moori's lip twitched into a smile as he looked to Goku and clasped his hands behind his back. "What could you possibly need the Dragonballs for now, Goku? Do you plan to use them to fight Vegeta?"

Goku cocked a smirk that made Nail blink and shake his head to ward off the fleeting, dark image. He still didn't trust that Saiyan completely. In spite of what good Goku did on Namek, he was still a Saiyan, a killer with a past, and that kind of bloodlust didn't disappear overnight.

"I don't need the Dragonballs for that." Goku said. "I would _never_ use the Dragonballs to defeat an opponent."

Dende breathed in awe. "So you think you can defeat a Super Saiyan?"

"Goku," Moori drew Goku's attention, heaving a sigh, "I will tell you this because I suspect you pose us no danger, and because you still need a Namekian to grant a wish from Porunga."

As Goku raised his brows expectantly, Nail clenched his fists and shot his gaze to Moori. He didn't know what his elder was doing, but he didn't like this.

"We have the Dragonballs gathered." Moori said. "We have kept them together for a while now, in preparation for defending ourselves on short notice from any evil that may come here."

"Moori." Nail seethed through his teeth before shooting a warning glare at Goku. "I don't think you should be telling him this."

Goku glared right back. "I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving without making my wishes."

Moori narrowed his eyes. "What wishes would those be?"

"I need to revive some old friends. They've waited long enough."

Nail furrowed his brows and exchanged curious glances with the other gaping, curious Namekians. "Didn't you already revive your people on Earth?"

Goku shook his head. "Not all of them. Our dragon can't revive those who've been revived before."

Moori raised his chin, then let it fall with a knowing frown. "But ours can. This is why you've returned to Namek, even though your planet is in danger from the Super Saiyan as we speak?"

"I couldn't go back without doing this first." Goku clenched his jaw, and Nail watched as the Saiyan's hands fell to his sides with fists clenched. "So are we going to do this the hard way, or the easy way?"

Nail smirked. "You wouldn't want to try the hard way with _us_ now, Goku. Even if you are powerful, we'vebeen training."

"I can see that." Goku smiled back, looking honestly impressed, before he snapped his blue wristband and turned his gaze back to Moori. "But I'll _take_ the Dragonballs if I have to."

"Goku!" Dende shook his head. "How can you say that?"

"There's no reason for fighting." Cargot smiled assuredly as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Goku can use the Dragonballs. If all he's doing is reviving people, he only needs one wish." Cargot's hopeful smile was aimed at Moori's stoic face. "We'll still have the other two to defend our planet, and we probably won't even need those wishes now."

"One wish?" Goku furrowed his brows. "I need to revive _three_ people."

"Like I said," Moori smiled down at the hopeful eyes of the boys, "we've been preparing for the worst. When Guru died, I took it upon myself to add some revisions to the Dragonballs, in case our people ever suffered again like last time."

"These three people you're trying to revive," Nail frowned, "are they good people?"

Goku gave a curt nod. "They were killed by my brother. I have to make it up to them."

Grinding his teeth with worry, Nail cast a glance at Moori. He could already see the wheels turning in his elder's head. There was no question that his elder would agree to this. In all honesty, Nail couldn't find it in himself to deny the wish, either. If any of _his_ murdered brothers still needed to be revived, he would do anything in his power to revive them, as they had already done with Moori's improvements upon the Dragonballs to allow multiple resurrections with one wish.

Swallowing nervously, Dende turned a pleading gaze on his elder. "Moori?"

Letting out a resigned sigh, the elder waved his hand towards the small abode behind them. "You might want to make this quick, Goku. Your Earth is in far more danger than Namek right now."

With a determined huff, a resolute nod, and a forward march, the Saiyan passed the Namekians into the abode, leaving them to collect themselves in a moment of quiet. Hopefully, there would be peace on Earth once again, as Namek had found in the wake of all of its destruction.

* * *

"So everything's quiet on Earth?"

Chiaotzu's hopeful question was almost uplifting. But as he sat at the small table by Krillin's side, watching King Kai staring into the sky with a concentrated furrow of his brows, Master Roshi knew Earth was far from safe.

"For the moment, Chiaotzu." King Kai nodded and sipped from his teacup. "But don't expect it to last."

The table below his relaxed fingers vibrated violently as Krillin pounded his fist on the table. "What about Gohan?"

King Kai's frown deepened. "That fight made quite a mess. The great ape transformation came in handy, but I can't imagine Vegeta's very happy about his injuries."

Shaking his head slowly, Roshi let out a long exhale. That boy might've been Goku's son, but even Goku had no sense of himself in that form. There was no telling how it worked on a half-human boy, but whatever special abilities that kid had, they hadn't been enough to defy the strength of a Super Saiyan.

"That monster!" Krillin growled. "He should leave Gohan alone. If I was down there, I'd show him what I've learned from my training here and teach him not to mess with kids!"

"Krillin," Roshi grumbled, "we may be stuck up here for good. Shenron can't revive us. As far as what's happening on Earth, what good can we really do?"

A scowl was planted on Krillin's face as he crossed his arms. "We could do _something_. It's better than nothing at all."

"Hey!" Chiaotzu gasped as his eyes went wide.

"I mean," Krillin shook his head and knit his brows tightly, "what could Vegeta have planned for Gohan? He didn't kill the kid after he cut off his tail, when he had the chance. He must have some sort of plan for Earth and the rest of the universe beyond acting like an egotistical, sadistic jerk."

"Krillin!"

At Chiaotzu's second exclamation, Roshi blinked. He had been so absorbed by the severity of Krillin's expression and their conversation that he didn't even notice it until his eyes glided up to where Chiaotzu's stubby white finger was pointing.

"You too, Master Roshi!"

Roshi patted his bald head. "Me?"

"Chiaotzu?" Krillin blinked, befuddled by being drawn out of his deep musing. "What?"

"Your halos!" Chiaotzu exclaimed.

"Hey, Chiaotzu!" Krillin jumped to his feet, nearly knocking over the short table, "yours is _gone_!"

"Hm," King Kai smirked and stroked his left whisker, "it seems you're all not dead anymore."

"How," Krillin shook his head and patted his chest in disbelief, "how did this happen?"

Roshi smiled slyly to himself. He knew the cause, though he had no idea how Goku had pulled it off. But it had to be Goku. That guy was capable of anything when he put his mind to it.

Chiaotzu somersaulted in the air before smiling at the others with his eyes brimming with tears. "I can see Tien again! All of our friends!"

With a gasp, Krillin turned to Roshi. "Master Roshi, we need to get back to Earth!"

With a firm nod and a grunt, Roshi stood to his feet. "You're right, Krillin. There's no time to waste."

"Now that you're all free to return to Earth, I can have my planet back." King Kai nodded with a smile, even as Bubbles scurried down the tree to join him by his side. "You three have been eating me out of house and home."

Krillin chuckled. "Just be glad it wasn't Goku here with you."

Roshi had to chortle in agreement. King Kai had _no_ idea. Goku probably wouldn't have been nearly as appreciative as they were about everything King Kai provided, either.

Clapping a hand on Krillin's back, King Kai laughed. "And now you can show all of your new techniques off to that jerk Saiyan down there you've wanted to teach a lesson to all this time."

Groaning, Krillin lowered his head. "Me and my big mouth."

Roshi smiled at his old pupil. Under his new master, Krillin achieved a level beyond anything Roshi originally thought possible. So had Chiaotzu. Roshi even learned a few new tricks, himself. Returning to Earth would be exciting, though he knew they couldn't get too excited. With a Super Saiyan in charge and his strongest opponent imprisoned at Capsule Corporation for defying him, Roshi knew they couldn't be the help they wanted to be. They could only do the best they could until Goku would arrive. Turning towards Snake Way, Roshi smiled. There was no doubt in his mind that Goku was already on his way back to Earth to save his son and everyone else.

"Come on!" Roshi cackled as he took the giant leap off of Snake Way. "If we hurry, we can beat Goku back to Earth!"

* * *

A/N: Okay, everyone. You have no idea how long I have been waiting to resurrect those guys! When I first started this story, I already had that planned and figured it would take just a few chapters to get to that point, but the Ginyu force and the Nameks and everyone else came into play, sending everyone _away_ from Namek without their resurrection happening until now. Finally. Even Goku's revival took longer than I anticipated, but this is what happens when you let the characters drive the story. Hope you're all still enjoying the ride. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	40. Waiting On Goku

A/N: This is finally out, and I am happy to announce that the rest of the story is outlined, which will move along the writing process more quickly from now on. I plan to go no longer than a month between updates from now on with this story. Sorry for the long wait.

* * *

When Gohan opened his eyes, it was dark. But the appearance of his surroundings wasn't nearly as unsettling as the tension he could feel in the room, which looked like a large laboratory of some sort. As soon as Gohan moved, he could feel cold shackles around his wrists. They were heavy and bulky, but he knew he could probably break through them. But he wouldn't dare try, not with Vegeta staring at him through the glass wall petition between them.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway. Though Vegeta didn't flinch as the noise approached him, Gohan wiggled and pulled on the jingling chains of his shackles. When he looked up to see Bulma hustling past Vegeta with a loaded tray in her hands, Gohan gasped. The last thing he could remember was preparing to fight Vegeta. And now, something physically felt off...and he couldn't make sense of what was happening around him.

When Gohan's eyes lit on Bulma, her face brightened, which really didn't feel right in the current situation. "Hey, Gohan!"

"B-Bulma?"

"You're finally awake!"

Bulma's cheery tone was jarring. As Gohan narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to sniff the savory aroma leaking into his space, he noticed Yamcha was in the room too, just behind Vegeta. He probably was there the whole time as he was now, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Yamcha's wary gaze shifted between Bulma, Gohan and Vegeta, which made sense to Gohan. More sense than Bulma's behavior or Vegeta's unreadable expression and silence.

While Bulma reached Gohan's side, kneeling to slide her full tray onto the floor in front of Gohan, Gohan watched her carefully. If he was being kept alive, but held against his will like this, it was safe to assume he'd lost the fight against Vegeta. But if that was true, he didn't understand why he was still alive. He didn't understand what Vegeta wanted from him. And he didn't understand why Vegeta was allowing Bulma to be so freely close to Gohan.

"Gohan," Yamcha called from the distance, "you should eat something. You've been out for a whole day. You must be starving."

Gohan blinked and tried to rub his head, but only successfully yanked the clanking shackle holding his wrist. "A...a whole day?"

"Yeah." Bulma offered a glass of water, smiling as Gohan took it. "Here. Start off slow."

"Wait." Gohan wrapped both hands around the cup and lowered it. "A whole day? Then...Mom!"

Bulma shook her head. "Don't worry, Gohan."

"No!" Gohan pulled on the shackles and turned his gaze on Vegeta. "She's going to come looking for me and-and Vegeta-"

Bulma winced. "She already did. I…told her we haven't seen you, Gohan."

"Th-thanks, Bulma." Gohan brought the plastic cup to his lips as he absorbed what his mother was told, trying not to worry about her.

He didn't believe his mother had been turned away easily. Bulma must've put a lot of effort into convincing her, but he was thankful for it. Gohan didn't want to ask about the details. He just hoped his mom didn't do anything too extreme when she decided to come back and look for him again, which would inevitably happen. With his brows furrowed with concern, Gohan proceeded to sip the thirst-quenching liquid, getting his fill and chugging more than he intended before lifting his gaze from the cup.

Vegeta's impatient glare startled Gohan. "I want to know how you did that."

"What?" Gohan raised his brows. "Did what?"

"You know what you did."

"Hey," Bulma called over her shoulder, "why don't you give the kid a chance to eat something before starting an interrogation?"

"His food isn't going anywhere."

Yamcha's eye twitched in irritation as his lip pulled into a sneer. "That's _enough_ , Vegeta! I'm letting him out of the chains!"

As Yamcha marched forward, balling his fists by his sides, Gohan's eyes widened. He set his cup on the tiled floor as he witnessed Vegeta stepping up behind Yamcha, his fist raised in a threatening manner.

"You're not touching those chains!" Vegeta yelled. "If you do, I'll have to rip those hands clean off."

Though Yamcha froze and tensed, baring his teeth at Vegeta after the threat, Gohan felt his confusion morph into anger. He could also feel his ki rising at the thought of his father's friend being hurt. As Vegeta shot a look of shock at Gohan, Gohan narrowed his eyes and let out a shout. With his energy bouncing off of everything around him, it wasn't hard to free himself from those shackles, though the horrified expression on Bulma's face did sort of make him feel bad for tearing the chains from the wall of her laboratory.

"That!" Vegeta shouted before a grin crossed his face. " _That_ impressive power burst. You did the same thing as a great ape during our fight. How?"

Sliding the jagged, broken cuffs off his wrists, Gohan hesitantly met Vegeta's gaze. "I don't know. I…I don't even remember transforming."

After studying Gohan's innocuous gaze, Vegeta scoffed. "I shouldn't be surprised. Your worthless father obviously failed to train you in that regard."

Gohan kept his mouth shut and cast a fleeting glance at Yamcha and Bulma off to the side, who were staring at them. At least they seemed to no longer be in danger. Vegeta's attention was completely directed at Gohan now. But Gohan wasn't so sure that was a good thing.

Vegeta raised his chin. "You'll need to learn some control if you're going to be of any use to me. We Saiyans have ways of training our young warriors." Narrowing his eyes at Gohan, Vegeta pulled his lips into a smirk. "Even third class, brainless trash like your father. Let's hope it works as well for half-breeds."

Gohan scowled back at him. "I'm not a Saiyan."

"Oh," Vegeta laughed, "you are, brat. At least you do have _some_ Saiyan blood flowing through your veins."

Gohan growled, feeling his fists clench as he watched Vegeta. He didn't want to be here anymore, and he didn't want any of his friends in danger from Vegeta. But if his transformation, which was supposed to increase his power so much, failed to do anything to Vegeta, then he couldn't see the chance any of them had against the Saiyan prince.

"Of course," Vegeta bent forward to reach for something on a tabletop just out of his reach, "I suppose you're a little _less_ Saiyan now, without this."

Gohan narrowed his eyes through the glass at the brown item dangling from Vegeta's gloved hand like a floppy chain. When he recognized its furry texture, he recalled with a gasp the awkward feeling upon first waking up, and immediately reached for his tail. All he felt back there was his clothing and the smooth curve of his back. His breathing became erratic as he narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, though he was never as emotionally attached to his tail as Vegeta seemed to think he was. He didn't care if he never got it back, but it was Vegeta's taunting about it that was really making him angry.

"Oh," Vegeta laughed, "the little half-human is getting angry. Maybe I should run."

"Maybe you should!"

Gohan began to power up, not thinking of the possible consequences through the red haze of his anger. Vegeta had been here on Earth, taking advantage of all of his friends and hanging this threat over all of them. Gohan wasn't going to stand by and watch it happen any longer. But before he could charge, before he could force his fist through Vegeta's head, Vegeta was already on him, shockingly close, grasping him by the neck in an iron-clad grasp. Feeling the pain of Vegeta's blunt fingers digging into his neck, Gohan grimaced.

A sinister smirk lit Vegeta's face. "Don't get any ideas of using those little power surges of yours against me. Even with the rise in energy, your power is nothing compared to my Super Saiyan strength."

As Vegeta's grip slightly loosened, Gohan winced and responded in a hoarse voice, "Then why haven't you killed me yet? You said you would i-"

Vegeta laughed loudly in Gohan's face. "All young Saiyans are proud and rebellious; it's part of what makes them Saiyan. You needed to see that. I will show you by using your fear of my power. Saiyans only respect power."

Growling, Gohan bared his teeth at Vegeta. "I told you I'm not a Saiyan!"

Vegeta released Gohan, letting him fall to his feet as Vegeta turned to face the opening of the glass wall behind him. When he extended a flat, open palm, Bulma and Yamcha pressed their backs up against the wall, side by side, their eyes widening as they fixated on the light source coming from Vegeta's hand. What Gohan expected to be a massive blast, a possible attack against his friends, surprisingly was released as a small blast aimed for the little round table where his severed tail remained.

Vegeta turned his gaze to Gohan. "You may not be a true Saiyan, but you're all that's left, so you'll have to do."

Bulma gasped and stepped forward. "He's not _all_ that's left!"

"Bulma!" Yamcha grimaced and grasped her by the arm.

Shaking her head fervently, Bulma sought Vegeta's gaze. "Goku is coming back to Earth! He should be here soon, Vegeta! And when he gets here, he's going to kick your ass!"

"Oh?" Vegeta raised a brow, looking amused. "I have far surpassed Kakarot. I'm looking forward to his return. If anything, I'm _counting_ on it."

"Then," Yamcha furrowed his brows, "why bother with Gohan? Just let the kid go home!"

The amusement was wiped from Vegeta's face as he turned his glare on Yamcha and then directed his gaze to Bulma. "You can tell your pathetic excuse for a warrior over there that this is between me and the boy. Come to think of it, why don't you two both get out of here?"

"Uh!" Bulma scoffed. "First of all, Yamcha isn't completely pathetic, and second of all, this is _my_ laboratory. No one tells me to get out!"

Yamcha frowned at the back of Bulma's head. "Not _completely_ pathetic?"

"Bulma," Gohan grew anxious as he registered the irritation in Vegeta's eyes, "I think you'd better do what he says."

"You stay out of this, Gohan!"

Gohan's frown deepened as his eyes widened in confusion. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of Bulma's anger. But what was even stranger, was that somehow this thing between him and Vegeta had just shifted to a thing between Bulma and Vegeta, and she seemed to be holding her own. Though, Gohan worried that if she didn't, she was going to end up getting herself killed.

"I've had enough of this!" Bulma continued, closing in on Vegeta, who stumbled back in shock as she proceeded to poke her finger hard into his chest. "You come into my home, eat all of my food, make me wait on you hand and foot without a single compliment or thank-you, and now you're telling _me_ to get out?"

Gohan blinked. "B-Bulma…"

"Bulma," Yamcha's voice wavered as he stepped forward and wrapped his hands around Bulma's shoulders, "come on now. Let's just let them talk. Vegeta's not going to do anything to Gohan right now."

Gohan watched in awe as Bulma continued fuming and baring her teeth while Yamcha tugged her to the door. While Gohan expected Vegeta to react at any moment, to hurt Bulma or threaten her, Gohan was even more stunned to see the Saiyan prince's jaw dropping as a pink flush that highlighted his cheeks during Bulma's verbal onslaught slowly receded from his cheeks.

Furrowing his brows, Gohan slowly approached Vegeta. "Vegeta?"

"What?" Vegeta snapped his gaze to Gohan, and within an instant, that stunned expression was replaced with his usual hostility. "I will put that surge in power to the test, Kid. Because once you've seen me defeat your father in battle, you will know that I am the only one you must obey. I will crush your hope," Vegeta chuckled, "and then I can crush your spirit and build you up again in _my_ vision to help me conquer the universe."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "What do I do for now?"

"That woman said Kakarot would return soon?"

With a determined grunt, Gohan nodded.

Vegeta gave a dismissive shrug. "I suppose you can roam freely, as long as you return to witness your father's devastating loss."

Gohan's eyes lit. "Thank you, Vegeta."

Vegeta grunted. "This isn't a privilege. I just don't need another irrational woman storming in here day and night looking for you. You need to train until your father gets here. You and all those other weaklings."

"The others?" Gohan gasped. "You're thinking of taking-"

"No!" Vegeta snorted. "I just want a good battle before I leave this planet. Just remember, there's nowhere anyone can hide from me on this planet. Once Kakarot's dead again, I will track down every last one of you, starting with Dodoria. That coward can't hide behind the power of his master _or_ Kakarot anymore."

Gohan clenched his jaw and bravely kept his eyes locked on Vegeta. "I won't run away. And you'll see, Vegeta. My father isn't going to lose against you."

"Don't be so sure about that." Vegeta smirked. "Your father's a changed man. I might know more about him than you do at this point."

As Vegeta turned to walk away from the conversation, Gohan clenched his jaw even harder and shook his head. Vegeta was wrong. He was wrong about the possibility of Gohan ever becoming the type of murderer Vegeta wanted him to be, and he was wrong about his father. Gohan knew his father couldn't have changed _that_ much during the years he was away in space. His father had greater determination than any man Gohan had ever known, and he wouldn't lose his next battle, even if it was against a Super Saiyan. At least for now, he could return home to his mother. He could see her again, train with Dodoria and Piccolo, and hopefully soon after, have his father back home as well.

* * *

So this was the Lookout, the place where Goku trained before their last martial arts tournament. It was also apparently the place where all the others trained and fought while the Earth was being invaded. In spite of the alien feel to the mystical place dwindling high above the world, the familiarity of Kami's face was a welcome sight. The dark, heavy guy in a turban and genie shoes watering the flowers beside him was a little creepy, though. Even creepier was the sight of Piccolo at the Lookout. The guy still made Krillin nervous, in spite of everything King Kai said about his recent changes on Earth. It was just hard to believe that Piccolo had trained with all of his living friends and even protected Gohan in battle. But judging by the lack of animosity in his gaze as Piccolo spied them landing on the Lookout, Krillin guessed stranger things had happened. It wasn't like this was the first time one of Goku's enemies had a change of heart.

When Kami locked eyes on them, his face lit with a smile. Meanwhile, the genie-guy dropped his watering can as he let out a gasp. "Goodness!"

"Kami," Krillin laughed, "we're back!"

Lifting his staff and stepping forward as he thumped it on the tile, Kami locked eyes with Master Roshi. "I suspected as much. It's great to see you all again."

"It's an honor to see you again, Kami." Master Roshi said, before darting his eyes towards Piccolo and giving the scowling guy a curt nod.

"This," Kami said with a wave to the other guy staring at them, "is Mr. Popo. He's been caretaker here for many, many years."

"Hello."

"H-hi." Krillin waved lazily as Chiaotzu let out a hum of acknowledgement and waved his hand as well.

"So," Master Roshi clasped his hands behind his back and turned to Kami, "what is happening on Earth now? Is Vegeta still here?"

"Yes." Piccolo responded quickly. "And he has Gohan."

Krillin gasped. "He hasn't let him go?"

Shaking his head sadly, Chiaotzu added, "oh, no."

"Oh, yes." Kami sighed. "I'm afraid he sees something in the boy that he wants to take advantage of. Vegeta could be an even bigger threat if he gets what he wants from Gohan."

Piccolo scoffed. "That'll never happen. That kid is too pure. He'll _die_ before he lets Vegeta turn him into a monster."

"Well," Krillin scowled, "we can't let it come to that. What can we do, Piccolo?"

As Piccolo met Krillin's gaze, a sly smile slowly spread across his face. "We can get him out of there."

"Piccolo!" Mr. Popo gasped.

"That sounds like a good idea," Chiaotzu mused, "but how?"

"Yeah," Krillin shook his head, "I mean, Vegeta is a _Super Saiyan_ , guys. How are we going to fight against that?"

"Last I checked," Piccolo crossed his arms and glared at Krillin, "there was nothing superior about Saiyans - even if they can transform."

"Don't be arrogant, Piccolo." Kami warned. "The level you're at is nothing compared to Vegeta when he's in his transformed state."

"Are you telling me we Nameks don't have the potential to surpass them?" Piccolo scoffed. "I'm a warrior. I won't just step aside and let some arrogant Saiyan take over the planet I call home."

"Well, Piccolo, there is something you could do. But you'd have to be very committed to the idea."

Krillin chuckled at Kami. "Like what, transform himself?"

When Krillin's eyes landed on Kami's solemn, serious gaze, he snapped his mouth shut. As Kami nodded, Piccolo gaped at the other Namek. Master Roshi studied the two of them astutely, running his fingers through his beard, while Chiaotzu curiously gazed at everyone in the gathering, and Mr. Popo stood aside with a vacant gaze and smile planted on his face.

"Yes, Krillin." Kami locked eyes with Piccolo. "There is one way I know to counter a Super Saiyan."

Master Roshi nodded. "I see. Kami, you and Piccolo were once one being long ago."

Kami hummed in confirmation. "That split not only separated our personalities, but our power as well."

"Wait." Krillin furrowed his brows as a repulsed expression crossed Piccolo's face. "Are you saying…are you telling me that you two-"

"No." Piccolo scowled stubbornly. "I won't do it."

Kami smiled. "I didn't think you would."

"Then," Chiaotzu stepped towards Kami with a pout, "why did you suggest it?"

"Because he's planting a seed." Piccolo glared at Kami. "I know how that old man's mind works. It's not going to happen, Kami."

"If we reunited, Piccolo," Kami shrugged, "with all the training you've had, you would possibly be more powerful than a Super Saiyan. I don't like the idea either, but," Kami sighed, "it's the only option I can think of right now."

"Hold on." Krillin laughed and waved a dismissive hand in the air. "First of all, you're forgetting that Goku's coming back."

Master Roshi scowled. "Goku might not make it back before something terrible happens, Krillin."

"What about _our_ training?" Chiaotzu added.

Shaking his head, Master Roshi frowned towards the ground. "You boys have come a long way. I'm proud of both of you. But I don't think either of you stand a chance against Vegeta."

"H-how about Gohan's transformation?" Krillin asked hopefully. "If we train him really well, and then he transforms again-"

"Vegeta removed his tail." Piccolo growled. "He can't transform anymore."

Krillin frowned towards the ground, before lifting his gaze quickly. "Hey! But Goku's used to grow back! Maybe it'll grow back!"

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo scoffed. "Yeah. Great plan. Let's rely on something that has a slim chance of happening, Krillin."

"Hey," Krillin frowned bitterly and crossed his arms, "I was only trying to come up with ideas to save you the trouble of fusing with Kami."

Piccolo met Krillin's gaze with a smirk. "Or maybe you feel threatened about the idea of _me_ being as powerful as a Super Saiyan."

Krillin grimaced as Master Roshi leaned into him and quietly whispered, "that thought _had_ crossed my mind. But if Piccolo becomes a problem, at least we'll know Goku's going to be back by then."

"But," Chiaotzu crossed his arms and furrowed his brows, "is Goku even going to be strong enough to fight Vegeta?"

"Chiaotzu has a point." Kami said. "There's no way of knowing how powerful Goku's become during his time training in the afterlife."

After a moment of worrisome silence, Piccolo smirked. "If he was training to fight against Vegeta, I wouldn't expect anything less than a Super Saiyan transformation from Goku. I wouldn't be surprised if he reached a level _beyond_ that transformation."

"Really?" Krillin raised a brow.

He knew his old friend was always beating the odds since they were kids, breaking through the limits of what anyone thought was possible, but it was hard to imagine that Goku could gain such a huge amount of power in such short time. But if anyone could accomplish the impossible, Krillin knew it was Goku. It seemed like a longshot, but in Goku's case, Krillin could believe it. Now that meant that by comparison, Goku was going to put all the great new techniques Krillin learned from King Kai to shame.

Krillin scowled at his feet and muttered, "Oh, man."

"All right." Master Roshi rolled up his sleeves, looking determined as he puffed out his chest. "We need to rescue Gohan. Who's coming with me?"

"Me!" Chiaotzu responded with narrowed eyes.

Krillin stepped forward, though doubt riddled his mind. "M-"

"Calm down." Kami smiled, looking over the edge of the Lookout. "Gohan's gone home."

"What?"

Krillin gaped at Kami, before looking at the stunned expressions on everyone else's faces. His head swiveled viciously as he turned from one face to another, but only Kami's subtle smile seemed confident.

Piccolo raised a brow. "Vegeta…released him?"

"What?" Krillin shook his head. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"I do." Piccolo chuckled. "Vegeta's waiting for Goku. Bulma probably told him about Goku coming."

Krillin sighed. "So, Gohan's safe for now?"

Kami nodded, his gaze still fixed on the Earth below. "It seems that way."

"Well," Master Roshi looked around, letting his sleeves roll down his arms, "I guess we should all just steer clear of Vegeta for the time being, until Goku arrives."

"And train." Piccolo quickly added.

"More training?" Krillin frowned, though with a groan, he nodded in agreement.

He'd thought their training had been enough, but according to Master Roshi, they needed more. Though Krillin preferred to let Goku take the lead in these matters, he couldn't just stay behind. He wanted to catch up as much as possible, to at least stand a chance if he was called upon to fight. He wouldn't let Goku down. He wouldn't let Gohan down either, or any of his other friends. He could go train at Kame House, maybe with Yamcha like in the old days, or even with Chiaotzu and Tien.

"Hey, Chiaotzu." Krillin smiled as he met Chiaotzu's curious gaze. "Are you ready to go find Tien?"

With his eyes sparkling with excitement, Chiaotzu beamed. "Yeah! C'mon, Krillin!"

Laughing, Krillin ran to the edge of the Lookout, freezing just short of jumping off. With a glance behind him, he could see the irritated look on Master Roshi's face. Apologetically, Krillin stepped forward, offering Master Roshi his hand.

Crossing his arms, Master Roshi scowled. "You were going to leave your master behind to fend for himself?"

Sheepishly, Krillin chuckled and rubbed his head. "Sorry, Master Roshi. You want a lift to Kame House?"

Master Roshi frowned at Chiaotzu. "Chiaotz-"

"Chiaotzu!"

The surprising call cut Master Roshi off as a figure zoomed onto the Lookout from below. Behind the blazing trail of white aura, their friend appeared, all three eyes sparkling happily at the sight of his long-lost friend.

Chiaotzu wrapped Tien in a choking embrace. "Tien!"

"Hey!" Tien laughed. "It's good to see you alive again, Chiaotzu."

"You too, Tien."

"Okay," Master Roshi cleared his throat and grabbed Krillin by the shoulder. "We should get moving. There's no time to waste. You boys are going to need all the training you can get for what's coming."

No more words needed to be said. With curt nods, the fighters all parted ways. Krillin smiled at his friends one last time before taking off with Master Roshi. He hoped Goku would be back soon, so he and his best friend could reunite like Chiaotzu and Tien - he only hoped that once Vegeta had a say in it, their long-awaited reunion wasn't going to be cut short.


	41. (Ar)rival

It took a while to shake off the landing. His hands were still shaking from the sensation of the ship skidding hard across the surface of the Earth. Goku wasn't as used to that method of traveling as he was not too long ago. But the rough landing was easily forgotten when he knew he could open that hatch to see home again, and stay there for good this time.

When the hatch lifted, letting the blinding sunlight from outside pour into his pod, Goku squinted and shielded his eyes with the palm of his hand. He couldn't see at the moment, but his other senses were working. He should've known to expect people to come and greet him at his landing site, but now he wasn't sure who he wanted to see first. If he stayed, he'd be met with the arrival of Vegeta. The others heading his way would be satisfied to stand by and witness the fight. He had been waiting for this reunion for a long time now. With all the training he had done, Goku was looking forward to testing his might and new techniques against the Saiyan prince.

But then, he could feel more ki from the other direction. Towards the mountains, there were others who weren't rushing to the landing site, at least not yet. It seemed all of those who were coming originated from the same location. They were his friends, too – warm, familiar energies he was looking forward to seeing again – but seeing that Vegeta was with them, they would have to wait. Before he could engage in this exciting battle, before he could get involved in something which would most likely take a good chunk of time and possibly end his life, he needed to see his family again, if only for a moment.

With a sigh, Goku glanced in the direction of the approaching energies, which he could almost see now in the distance, appearing as an incoming formation of shimmering bands of white in the sky. He hated to do this, especially with the fight so close and coming to him. But he placed his fingers to his forehead anyways, knowing Vegeta would catch up. This was just going to buy him some time. It was nothing more than a brief delay to the fight they owed each other.

* * *

When Piccolo and Dodoria decided to break from their spar, giving Gohan a turn to take to the open field and practice, all three of them took pause at once. It wasn't his mother or grandfather, or even the natural surroundings on Mt. Paozu that startled them. It was the sudden appearance of a figure by Piccolo's side and the rush of air that accompanied it.

"Piccolo?"

As Goku cocked his head at Piccolo, Gohan gawked at his father's face. His father looked more like Gohan remembered him; at least, moreso than he did the last time he'd returned to Earth. Now, he was out of that Saiyan armor and wearing a gi, similar to the ones he wore when Gohan was younger. Aside from Goku's slightly hardened expression, which Gohan recognized when he watched his father narrow his eyes at Piccolo, in both appearance and demeanor, his father once again resembled the man he was _before_ Raditz came to Earth.

Goku braced his hands on his hips and cocked a smile at Piccolo. "That was _your_ energy I felt? You really have gotten stronger!"

As Gohan beamed with the belated realization that his father was actually back, alive, and there to stay, Piccolo scoffed. "Don't act so impressed. If you're impressed by _me_ , you really have no chance against Vegeta."

"Oh." Goku placed his heavy palm on the top of Gohan's head and laughed. "I guess I can't fool _you_ , Piccolo. Hey, Dodoria."

Dodoria grunted in response, lifting his chin briefly before Goku turned his attention from the other two to smile down at his son and ruffle his hair. Gohan couldn't believe how amazing that long-lost sensation felt. Having that comforting contact from his father was something he'd been missing for a couple of years now, even if one of those years were spent in the afterlife. As his hair was rustled on his head, Gohan giggled. His father was smiling down at him. He was back on Earth.

"Gohan," Goku's smile grew impossibly large, "you've gotten so big!"

"Yeah!" Gohan laughed.

"And strong, too!"

"Gokuuu!"

Immediately, Goku tensed at the sound of the voice calling from the house in the distance. Gohan felt his father's hand clench around his head before he was pulled into his father's torso. He felt like he was being used as a shield. Maybe he was.

"Ch-Chi-Chi!" Goku stuttered as Gohan's mother ran from the doorway, coming towards them at full speed, "I'm sorry I-"

"Goku!" She called again, her expression unreadable aside from her wide, alarmed eyes.

"S-sorry," Goku chuckled sheepishly as he stumbled back a step and took Gohan with him, "that I didn't come back sooner. I was-"

"You're back!" She cried when she finally reached them. "You came home!"

Gohan stepped aside as his mother rushed forward, flinging herself into his father's arms. When she collided with Goku's chest, Gohan watched his father's eyes bulge. The slight frown crossing his father's face was one of confusion, not discontent. But when his mother wrapped her hands over his shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze, Gohan watched his father's features relax. Goku's frown slowly turned into a smile as his eyes were cast down at the top of her head cuddled against his chest.

"Yeah," Goku sighed, "I'm back, Chi-Chi."

Pushing away as forcefully as she'd pressed into him, Chi-Chi looked up at Goku with a glare. "Promise me you're staying this time. No more running off to get killed!"

"Uh!" Goku flinched.

"Chi-Chi," Piccolo grumbled, "Vegeta's going to try to kill him."

"I don't care _what_ Vegeta wants to do!" Chi-Chi yelled. "If my Goku and Gohan stay here and mind their own business, he should just leave them alone!"

"But Chi-Chi," Goku smiled and placed a hand softly on her shoulder, "if I stay here, Vegeta's going to come this way and you could all get hurt."

Chi-Chi's glare hardened into a scowl as she met Goku's gaze. Gohan took a slow step back. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of what was about to happen. He was beginning to think that if Vegeta did come to Mt. Paozu for a fight, he was going to have more to fear from his _mother_ than his father.

"If that monster dares to come to this house-"

"He's already coming." Dodoria grunted with a nod towards the sky, crossing his arms. "He wants to fight Goku."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at Dodoria. "He wants to _kill_ Goku."

Dodoria shrugged. "That, too."

"Dad," Gohan took a deep breath, "if Vegeta transforms into a Super Saiyan-"

"Oh," Piccolo chuckled, "he's _going_ to transform into a Super Saiyan."

"If he does," Gohan gulped, "will you be ready? I mean, can you fight that?"

With the way his father smiled at him, Gohan would've sworn he'd just asked if his father was ready for dinner. There was no worry, no fear in his father's eyes. Gohan's eyes grew wide as he absorbed the excitement lighting his father's expression. Maybe he was thinking about something other than the impossible fight against a Super Saiyan.

"Dad?" Gohan prompted.

Goku chuckled, though his gaze was now focused on the same area of the sky where Dodoria was looking. "Don't _worry_ , Gohan! I've been looking forward to this fight as much as Vegeta has."

Chi-Chi grunted. "Looking forward to it, huh?"

Goku winced. "I've been training for this, Chi-Chi. Vegeta _killed_ the guy who killed me and now he thinks he's better."

"So what?" Chi-Chi countered.

"If he _is_ better," Piccolo said, "we're all doomed."

Dodoria's lips turned down in a deep scowl. "So you'd _better_ kick his ass, Goku. I didn't follow you all the way to Earth just to end up killed by the likes of _Vegeta_."

Goku met Dodoria's gaze and chuckled. "Sure. Hey, Dodoria! Have you been cooking lately?"

"Of course I have."

"When this fight is over," Goku's eyes sparkled, "can you and Chi-Chi make a big feast for me? I've been _dying_ for some good food!"

Piccolo bared his teeth. "Focus on the fight, Goku!"

Gohan could understand Piccolo's urgency. He could feel the massive power drawing near to them. Vegeta wasn't far. He was becoming visible, still just a spec in the sky as Gohan looked up, but he knew it was Vegeta coming. He would recognize that energy anywhere. And he knew if this didn't work out, he'd be the next to be forced to leave Earth. Even worse, people he cared about were going to die. He couldn't stand by and watch that happen if his father's fight ended badly. He was hoping for the best, but Gohan knew he had to be prepared for the worst.

* * *

They were down there in the mountains, ready to be picked off one by one if Vegeta wanted to go about it that way. Of course, that would be a good way to set Kakarot off – killing his friends and family before this fight started. That low class scum deserved it for evading their fight at his landing site like he did. Vegeta was losing patience with the other Saiyans. But he would put them in line. All would bow to him or die.

Descending with vigor and impatience, Vegeta plummeted feet-first towards the Earth while his fists flew above his head. When his heels hit the rocky terrain of the mountains with a thump, he raised his head to meet Kakarot's anticipatory gaze. "Kakarot."

Goku smiled. "Vegeta."

The whooshes of air behind him and subsequent thumps caused Vegeta's eyes to dart momentarily towards the nuisances trailing him, but his focus remained on Kakarot as he marched forward. Those weaklings were no threat to him, and if they had any brains at all, they'd be _running_ from this fight rather than trying to attend it.

"Krillin!" Kakarot's jovial outburst made Vegeta pause. "Chiaotzu! Ah, great, the wish worked! This must mean Master Roshi's alive, too."

"Gokuuuu!" Vegeta's eyes widened when the little runt of the group had the audacity to rush past him.

The bald guy flung himself into Goku's arms, nearly knocking Goku off his feet. Or it appeared so. Vegeta knew better, though. Kakarot was putting on an act for his friends. For what reason, he didn't know. But he'd fought alongside the other Saiyan long enough to know the difference between him actually being shoved down, like he had been at the hands of Frieza many a time, and his faking, which happened more often in Kakarot's case than any Saiyan he'd met before.

"Krillin!" Goku giggled. "You can let me go now. It's nice to see you alive again, but it'll be hard to fight Vegeta with you attached to me!"

Immediately, the other man yelped and released his hold around Goku's midsection to turn a grimace on Vegeta. Vegeta wasn't holding back, and he wasn't going to hold off any longer waiting for _anyone_ to get out of his way. He'd waited long enough for this fight. Perhaps Kakarot knew that. Kakarot may have been an idiot, but he understood Vegeta better than anyone there possibly could have.

"As you must know, Kakarot," Vegeta felt his lip pull into a smirk, "I have ascended. I defeated Frieza with my own hands. Now, no Saiyan or any being in the universe can ever challenge me again."

Instead of alarm, intrigue lit Kakarot's eyes. "You still want a fight?"

Masking his surprise, Vegeta crossed his arms and scoffed in dismissal. "With _you_?"

"Oh," Kakarot smirked, "so you don't want to fight?"

"What I want," Vegeta felt his jaw clench, "is to show you once and for all who is superior."

"So," doubt crossed Kakarot's face for a moment, "you want to fight?"

Growling, Vegeta raised his fist to his moronic would-be subordinate. "You will bow down to me, the true prince of all Saiyans and legendary Super Saiyan. You _and_ your whimpering brat, and you will learn to behave like true Saiyans."

In an instant, the amusement was wiped from Goku's face as he narrowed his eyes. "No. We won't, Vegeta."

Baring his teeth, Vegeta stepped forward, only being angered further when Kakarot held his ground and assumed an offensive stance.

"I bowed down once before when I had no choice." Goku said. "I'm not going to let that happen again." He glanced at the boy nervously backing away into the embrace of his mother's accepting arms. "I won't let Gohan live through what _I_ went through."

"You'll bow down, Kakarot," Vegeta clenched his fists until his knuckles throbbed, "or you'll die."

Forming his lips into a hard line, Goku slowly shook his head. "You'll have to make me."

Vegeta seethed internally, until his anger swelled to a point that was nearly overwhelming. His temples throbbed with the rush of blood coursing through him, his hands trembled with fury, and his entire body tensed in preparation to attack at any moment. But the fire inside him ignited something else. Looking into the eyes of his opponent – the dark, confident gaze brimming with excitement- Vegeta felt a rush of something else. Whether Kakarot proved to be an overconfident weakling or something more of a challenge, Vegeta knew he would enjoy this fight, and he would win this fight in the end. And once it was finished, he could decide how much he would torment Kakarot for his continued insubordination, for the pig-headed act of defying his prince and the one true super saiyan. Vegeta would gladly engage in this fight, and have fun making Kakarot beg for mercy while his friends and family stood by to witness his humiliation. This could be the greatest revenge for Kakarot's defiance that Vegeta would ever find.

With a smirk curling his lip, Vegeta met Goku's gazed and readied himself. "Then get ready to die at the hands of the greatest opponent you'll ever face, clown. In comparison to me, Frieza was a nobody."

"Not here." Piccolo's sudden interruption made both fighters flinch. "Take it somewhere else. There's a barren wasteland not too far from here."

Following the pointed finger Piccolo raised towards the west, Vegeta frowned. He was ready to kill Kakarot right there and then. But when he glanced in Kakarot's direction again, the other Saiyan's stance had completely relaxed as he turned his back to Vegeta. Vegeta grit his teeth. Kakarot had some nerve turning his back on him like that. He could easily take advantage and strike now, but there would be no glory in defeating his opponent when he was off-guard. The only way to humiliate Kakarot would be to beat him at his best.

"Yeah, you're right, Piccolo." Goku huffed in amusement. "This fight might get pretty destructive at this level. I remember the fight with Frieza was pretty intense. We really tore up that planet."

"Well," Krillin chuckled, "try not to do _that_. Okay?"

"I don't care where we fight, Kakarot." Vegeta crossed his arms. "But I'm losing my patience."

"Okay, okay." Goku braced his hands on his hips and raised his gaze towards the sky. "Let's go, Vegeta. I'm ready, too."

"Goku!"

Vegeta watched Goku grunt in surprise as the woman ran towards him with her hands clasped together and came to a sudden halt just feet short of reaching him.

"Come back home, you hear me? Promise you won't die or disappear on me again."

Goku smiled, turning his gaze briefly to his awe-stricken son before darting his eyes back to his wife. "Yeah, Chi-Chi. I'll make it home from this fight."

Vegeta snorted. "Don't count on it."

Without waiting another second, Vegeta blasted off into the sky. He knew Kakarot would follow him to their battleground, and he didn't want to wait around another second to witness Kakarot's farewells to his stupid friends. He didn't care whether anyone else followed or not, as long as Kakarot would be there. The Earthlings would find some way to witness this fight, and as long as Kakarot gave it his all, Vegeta knew he would get what he wanted by the end of this. But he could take his time getting to the good part. He was curious to see how much Kakarot's power had grown. This fight could be his best fight yet.


	42. Challenging A Super Saiyan

The wasteland was arid and hot under the beating sun, but the spikes of rock cast cooling shadows in the valleys, which could be played up in the fight for visual advantage. Tien liked that. As far as he knew, Goku was going to need all the advantages he could get against Vegeta. Shielding his eyes from the sun with a flat palm, Tien squinted towards Goku, who hovered in the sky with both fists clenched by his sides. His friend looked determined and confident as always, but Tien worried Goku was being _over_ confident. Shifting his gaze, Tien noted Vegeta hovering above a tall spike of rock. He looked just as confident. He had a reason to be.

Vegeta smirked. "I can see that you're not going to bow down. A pity to let all that power go to waste."

Tien descended until his feet thumped against the rocky, uneven ground beneath him. The vantage spot he and the others chose was relatively safe at a good distance from the fight, but not so far as to prevent them from having a good view. Tien didn't want to miss anything, but he knew getting any closer would only put himself, Chiaotzu, and everyone around them in danger. He couldn't take that risk, not when Chiaotzu and Krillin had so recently been revived.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled over a gust of howling wind. "We don't have to do this!"

Vegeta laughed. "I thought you knew me by now, Kakarot. I know I don't have to fight you. I could just end all of you now, but I want a good fight before I move on from this planet. I _want_ to conquer the universe, and until I beat some sense into you, I know you'll continue to be a thorn in my side."

Goku's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's true, Vegeta. You're lying. You don't want to be anything like Frieza!"

Vegeta scoffed, before spitting into the valley between the crags below him. "Don't tell me what I want, scum!"

"Vege-" Goku raised his fists as Vegeta leaned forward, but Goku was too late to prepare for the lightning-fast strike that Tien didn't even see coming.

When Goku's head jerked back from the impact of Vegeta's fist, Tien gasped loudly. He could hear the others gasping around him as Chiaotzu let out a stifled scream. Not even powered up yet, Vegeta seemed fast enough to catch Goku completely by surprise. But Tien knew Goku had to have a few tricks up his sleeve. And knowing his friend, Goku was most likely holding back as well.

When Goku let out a yell and retaliated with a knee to Vegeta's gut, which the saiyan prince quickly blocked with a raised shin, Tien grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes intently at the scene. He knew their movements would be fast, but it was even harder to watch than he expected. He barely saw a blur before Goku was behind Vegeta, swinging for the prince's head with a hook that the prince ducked just in time to avoid. It was frustrating, standing back and watching these rapid movements as a flurry of punches and kicks were exchanged so fast that Tien could hardly follow them. Not being able to tell who had the advantage yet, Tien feared for the worst. Not only the Earth's, but the entire _universe's_ fate was at stake if Goku lost this fight.

Tien could hear his friends by his flanks and feel their tension as they growled under their breath and moved in agitation from the corner of his eye. Piccolo was the least notable, but what he lacked in movement and noise he made up for in intensity. The only visual indications of Piccolo's distress were the baring of his teeth and beads of sweat rolling down his pulsating temple. The rest of them, they were less restrained. Most of them were vocal with their grunts and gasps, whereas Dodoria was moving around more than anyone else, looking the most fearful. Tien wondered what Dodoria knew about Vegeta that they didn't know. Or maybe it was what Dodoria knew about Super Saiyans that had him so scared. Either way, there was no use hiding his fear. It was obvious that Dodoria was petrified of the idea of Vegeta winning that fight.

A loud crack rang through the valley as Vegeta's fist made another direct hit with Goku's face. Tien gnawed his bottom lip and clenched his fists, watching his friend get thrown back before clutching his face in his hands. When Goku removed his hands to reveal his bloody nose and twitch of a smile to Vegeta, Tien felt a subtle sense of relief. But if Goku was playing around, Tien hoped he would start getting serious soon. The stress of worrying about this was going to eat away at him.

"Goku!" Piccolo yelled. "What are you doing?"

After shooting a glance in Piccolo's direction, Goku narrowed his eyes at Vegeta. "C'mon, Vegeta. That isn't all you've got, is it?"

With his fists clenched in front of him, Vegeta growled before launching himself at Goku. Tien shook his head and bared his teeth as he watched yet another collision. He didn't see Goku making any headway as Vegeta blocked and dodged most of his attacks. Even the few Goku landed didn't seem to have an impact. And Vegeta hadn't even transformed yet. Goku was holding his own for the most part, but it was clear to Tien and everyone there that he seemed to be expending more energy than Vegeta was.

"Goku!" Krillin cried out after witnessing one particularly brutal hit.

"Dad!"

"That Saiyan idiot!" Dodoria stepped in front of Gohan and shook his fist in the air. "He's going to risk losing this fight all for the sake of his fun. This is why Frieza wanted them dead. They're useless when they're not doing what you want them to do!"

"H-he's," Gohan gasped, "having _fun_ out there?"

Tien felt his lip pull into a smirk as Yamcha crossed his arms and smiled down at the kid. "You've never watched your father fight before, have you, Kid?"

"N-no."

"Believe me," Piccolo growled with his eyes fixed on the battle, "Goku's having fun out there. But at what cost?"

Following Piccolo's gaze, Tien almost doubted the truth behind that claim. The brutal beating Goku seemed to be taking certainly didn't _look_ fun, but this was Goku they were talking about – a Goku who'd spent years in space getting closer to his Saiyan roots surrounded by murderous monsters. As far as Tien knew, Goku was having more fun with this than ever before.

Letting out a raucous laugh, Vegeta launched himself from a tall crag and thrust his fist towards Goku's gut so fast that the wind whistled around him. When he landed the devastating blow that made Goku double over, he quickly followed with another one, not giving Goku a chance to recover this time like he'd done before. Goku was pummeled repeatedly while everyone watched on in agony.

Just when Tien was about to suggest that they jump in and help Goku, maybe provide one of the senzu beans Yamcha'd been holding onto (because they had to do _something)_ , Goku's hand shot up to block his face and caught Vegeta's fist in his palm. As Goku bared his teeth and dug his fingers into Vegeta's fist, Tien gaped at the spectacle.

Vegeta's eyes bulged before Goku let out a loud yell and exuded a red, fiery aura. "Kaio-ken!"

Tien felt his breath quicken at the shocking sight. He'd never seen anything like it before. Even more amazing than what he was _seeing_ as Goku retaliated with a punch to the gut that momentarily crippled Vegeta, was what he was _feeling_. The power he felt from Goku was double what he felt only a moment ago, and judging by how fast his fist was thrust into Vegeta's gut, it seemed his speed had increased as well.

"What the hell was that?" Dodoria asked.

"Yes!" Gohan laughed. "Get him, Dad!"

"That's," Krillin's eyes widened before he exchanged a glance with Chiaotzu, "that's the kaio-ken, right Chiaotzu?"

"Right!"

"How did Goku learn it?!" Krillin clenched his fists. "King Kai taught us that!"

"King Kai?"

As Piccolo looked to Krillin expectantly, Tien furrowed his brows, though he quickly returned his gaze to the ongoing fight. He would listen to what this technique was all about, but he wasn't going to stop watching that fight, not when Goku was still glowing red, and seemingly gaining the upperhand against Vegeta.

"What's kaio-ken, Krillin?" Yamcha asked.

"It's like a massive upsurge of energy. Everything is heightened: power, speed, even hearing and vision improve dramatically." Krillin's eyes narrowed as he watched Goku land a series of hits on Vegeta. "You sort of become…a super-self."

"Wow," Yamcha crossed his arms and smiled, "that sounds great."

"My dad should be able to win with that if Vegeta doesn't transform, right?"

"I wouldn't say that, Gohan." Chiaotzu said sadly.

Krillin shook his head. "It can only be sustained for a short time, so you have to get the job done quickly. It really takes a toll on the body. I know _I_ couldn't hold it for long."

Piccolo growled, baring his teeth as he joined Tien in looking at the fight again. Goku still held that crimson glow, but without powering down, there was no telling how long his body would hold out in this fight. Vegeta seemed to be struggling now, which was a good thing, but everyone knew he still had a trump card up his sleeve. All he had to do was transform into a Super Saiyan and this was all going to be over. Tien was beginning to question whether Vegeta would actually kill Goku, though. He had a feeling that Goku knew what he was talking about when he said Vegeta was lying. Maybe Vegeta didn't want to take over the universe after all. Maybe he'd become comfortable here on Earth. The planet seemed to change _Goku_ enough from the Saiyan ways he was expected to follow. Tien knew it was a longshot - he certainly wouldn't trust Vegeta to do the right thing. But maybe he had changed from the killer Goku knew in space, if only a little bit.

"Kakarot!"

Vegeta's call turned Tien's attention from his thoughts, back to the battlefield before him where he saw both Saiyans hovering at a distance with their eyes boring into one another.

"You've given me a decent fight here." Vegeta said. "Better than I expected."

Goku smirked. "I know."

"But I have other things to do. There's an entire universe waiting for its new ruler."

"You could stay right here on Earth, Vegeta. There's no reason to have to _conquer_ anything."

"Oh," Vegeta chuckled, "you have no idea how long I've waited for this, ever since Frieza destroyed our home planet, of which _I_ was the rightful ruler."

"If you stay here, there are plenty of strong people to fight, Vegeta. What more do you need?"

Vegeta shook his head. "Such a simpleton, Kakarot. What could I have to gain from staying on this backwater planet? There's no one here who can possibly challenge me. That might be enough for you, but I'll grow bored _settling_ here."

"Hm." Goku scowled and descended onto a jutting rock just below his feet. "I can see where you'd have a problem with that, but you're wrong about one thing."

"Am I?"

Goku's lip pulled into a smirk as he assumed a fighting stance once again. "There _is_ someone here who can challenge you."

"You?" Vegeta laughed. "Have you forgotten already? I think a few of your brain cells remained dead when you were resurrected. Well, let me refresh your memory."

As Vegeta raised his chest and tossed his head back with a yell, a yellow glow surrounded him, turning his hair the color to match his Super Saiyan transformation. When he assumed his signature fighting stance and set his teal eyes on Goku, Tien gulped. This was it. Vegeta was serious now, and finally so was Goku.

" _I_ am the Super Saiyan here, Kakarot."

As Vegeta clenched his fists and raised his chin with pride, a wicked smile crossed his face. Tien turned his gaze on Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Krillin, who all looked back at him with equal worry. When Gohan's innocent eyes looked up at him, Tien had to turn away, only to see Piccolo glowering pensively in his direction. Dodoria's far-off stare didn't look any more promising. They all knew this was about as bad as it could get. No one had a chance against a Super Saiyan. Even the terrifying Frieza that King Kai told horror stories to the others about fell at Vegeta's hand.

"Wow," Goku breathed in awe at the transformation, "it's amazing!"

Vegeta's smile widened. "You didn't really think you had any chance of winning this fight, did you?"

Goku's chest heaved as his eyes sparkled at the chilling sight before him. Tien wished there was something he could do, but he knew Goku was in this on his own, and had a better chance than anyone else of standing up to Vegeta.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You could still bow down, Kakarot. Save your worthless brat the trouble of taking your place on my conquests. All you have to do is bow and admit that I am the strongest."

Goku blinked. Tien watched as his gaze drifted towards the setting sun in the distance, then back to Vegeta. Tien had no idea what Goku was thinking, but there was a drastic change in his demeanor after Vegeta made that comment. The awe and intrigue had drained from his eyes and were replaced with a more familiar sparkle Tien recognized.

When Goku set his eyes on Vegeta again, his jaw clenched as his fists once again balled by his sides. "No."

Vegeta balked. "No?"

"I won't bow, Vegeta."

"Fine." Vegeta bared his teeth and curled his gloved fingers tightly as his brows lowered in an intensifying glare. "I'd rather kill you anyways."

Goku's chin lifted as a sly smile crossed his face. "You can _try_."

Tien's chest heaved as he watched the Super Saiyan glow flash around Vegeta while the prince cried out in anger. If Goku was trying to infuriate a Super Saiyan, he was succeeding. But Tien couldn't understand where Goku was going with this. He was bound to get seriously hurt if he kept messing with someone so strong. Even Goku had to know that. But by the confident gleam in Goku's eyes, Tien would have to say Goku _didn't_ know that. Goku looked more than ready for whatever was coming to him. Tien only hoped Goku had some surprises in store for Vegeta.

* * *

A/N: I am now publishing on Pat-reon (no hyphen, this site is weird about publishing this word sans-hyphen), and fortunately staying on schedule. This chapter was released earlier on Patre-on (no hyphen), as I will be releasing all of my chapters there first. The next chapter (43, Near Death) is available now for my patrons. Feel free to look me up there under this same author's name, and thank you for reading.


	43. Near Death

It felt good to beat Kakarot into the ground blow after blow, with the other Saiyan unable to lay a hand on him. It was clear who was the strongest here. Even better than Vegeta's impending victory were the cowering spectators in the distance who had to helplessly watch Kakarot's embarrassment. When Goku struggled to his feet in the massive crater in the ground Vegeta had just smashed him into, Vegeta growled under his breath. Goku just wouldn't stay down. He was battered with his skin bleeding and bruised beneath his torn flimsy clothing. Vegeta wouldn't mind throwing him into a few more canyons and destroying even more of the landscape, but why Kakarot continued to try and fight him, as if he had some chance with that odd red aura increasing his power and speed, Vegeta couldn't understand. Not only did Vegeta not understand Kakarot's behavior – he found it infuriating. Kakarot was clearly beat. He should've been quivering and groveling for his life. But he wasn't. Instead, he was raising his fists once again, daring to smirk when the dust settled and their eyes met. Then he launched into the air.

Peering to the side, Vegeta easily tracked Goku's movements in the sky. Whatever stealth Kakarot thought he possessed was inadequate. Now this was getting boring. If Vegeta wanted a real challenge, he knew he would just have to finish off Kakarot and the rest of the Earthlings and move on. Maybe he wouldn't even bother taking the kid with him. If Kakarot's spawn could grow to be as big a nuisance as Kakarot, Vegeta wanted nothing to do with him.

Goku was moving in for the attack. As he came in with a flying kick, Vegeta gathered energy in his palm and raised it in Goku's direction. The wide-eyed shock on Goku's face right before Vegeta released the ki blast to his chest was priceless. If there was anything Vegeta was getting out of this fight, the experience was memorable. He laughed as Goku cried out in pain, the explosion sent shockwaves in the air all around them, and Goku plummeted to the ground.

"Dad!"

Vegeta grunted as he turned towards the worrisome outcry. The others were too far off for Vegeta to clearly make out their expressions, but their body language and the child's exclamation said enough. At least _someone_ knew Kakarot was about to die for a second time, though Vegeta still preferred it was Kakarot who knew it.

"Goku!"

As the others began shuffling around in a frazzled state, one of them digging frantically into a tiny brown sash secured around his waist, Vegeta crossed his arms and turned his gaze back to Goku. He was staying down this time, it seemed. Kakarot was finally immobilized, or at least weakened enough that he needed to regain his energy before trying another attack. And Vegeta wasn't even breaking a sweat. This was too easy.

Slowly, with a smirk spreading across his face, Vegeta descended. He gnawed his bottom lip, thinking to himself as he neared his downed opponent. He had waited for this moment long enough; there were several ways Vegeta could torment the low class nobody who failed to acknowledge him as the superior elite he was. He could crush Kakarot limb by limb, adding insult to injury as his friends watched him cry out in pain. He could disable Kakarot and make him watch as Vegeta murdered his friends and son right before his eyes while he was helpless to do anything about it. That could be even better. Vegeta nodded as his feet touched the ground, closer to Kakarot's friends than before, though he was moving away from _them_ and towards Goku. Vegeta realized he'd better make sure Kakarot wasn't going anywhere before getting started.

"Goku!"

The shout from the scar-faced weakling made Vegeta snap his gaze from Goku's pain-contorted face. When his eyes landed on a small item flying on a vector towards him and the fallen Saiyan, Vegeta raised his hand to snatch it from the air. He held in his palm something incredibly small and light, which didn't feel like anything special. But judging by the gasps and cries of objection emanating from the onlookers, he figured he had something valuable there. When he peered over his shoulder to see Goku perching himself on his elbows with a look of disappointment crossing his face, Vegeta chuckled. Then he crushed the item in his palm, exerting a small amount of ki for good measure to make sure whatever he held was absolutely decimated.

"No!" Goku winced as he hurriedly tried to sit up.

Vegeta turned towards Goku. "I'm sorry. Was that supposed to help you?"

Vegeta's chuckle evolved into a full laugh. He had Kakarot right where he wanted him now. Judging by the miserable expression on Kakarot's face, Vegeta had just crushed any chance he had of surviving this fight.

When he neared enough to kick dirt onto Goku's booted foot lying limp, Vegeta raised his chin. "No handicaps allowed. Of course, I guess I'm speaking too soon." Vegeta knelt down. "You're about to _be_ handicapped."

"Dad, here!"

Just before the disruptive outburst, Vegeta had caught a glimpse of a smirk on Kakarot's face. He didn't have time to process the bewildering change in his opponent's demeanor, not when he could sense the boy fast approaching. With a growl, Vegeta snapped his gaze towards the determined boy doused in a blazing white aura flying towards them. Flinging his hand towards the intruder, Vegeta shot a blast at the boy, which seemed to do significant damage as the kid took the fast-coming blast head-on and careened to the ground, unconscious.

Cries rang out in the distance. "Gohan, no!"

"Gohan!"

The outraged cry from Goku filled Vegeta with mixed emotions. It had happened so fast. On the one hand, he had done just what he planned and evoked the reaction he was looking for. On the other hand, this was a preemptive move and not the way he'd planned it. He wanted Kakarot to be filled with anticipation and dread before actually witnessing his son's demise. And he wanted Kakarot disabled and helpless when it happened, not rising to his feet, scraping together what was left of his energy as he was doing now. With a sneer, Vegeta turned to face Goku directly. When he looked up, stunned to see Goku had moved towards him, Vegeta subconsciously took a step back.

Something was different about Kakarot. It wasn't just the outrage sparking in his eyes. It wasn't just his determined stance as he trembled with fury and locked his gaze on Vegeta. And it wasn't just the flash of energy whirling around him. It was much more than that.

"Vegeta," Goku growled between clenched teeth, "you killed my son."

"Kaka-"

"You _killed_ my son!"

"Gohan!"

Glancing at the movement occurring behind him, Vegeta was careful not to turn his back on Goku. Whatever that scar-faced idiot was doing back there, flying to the fallen boy was none of Vegeta's concern anyways. Quickly, Vegeta turned his glare back on Goku, whose eyes flashed a different color as soon as their eyes met.

Vegeta balked. "Ah!"

"You…won't get away with this!"

Vegeta took a step back. "Im-impossible!"

This couldn't be happening. He had to be imagining things. But as much as he wanted to deny it, his eyes didn't lie. Goku's hair flashed instantaneously with a brilliant golden glow which was unmistakable and disappeared as soon as it had appeared. Maybe, if he'd held back, if he'd never blasted that little twerp from the sky, this wouldn't be happening. This _shouldn't_ have been happening! But Vegeta would recognize it better than anyone else. He knew what he was witnessing. Goku was being reborn as a Super Saiyan, just like he had been. As his rival's energy skyrocketed and he was bathed in a sustaining, golden light, Vegeta clenched his fists and growled under his breath.

This fight wasn't over yet. In fact, it was just beginning.

* * *

As he rocked back on his heels, kneeling beside Gohan's fallen body, Yamcha gaped at the brilliant shining light coming from Goku across the rocky terrain. He couldn't give Gohan his attention, though he'd already inspected the boy just enough to know he was still hanging in there, just barely. But with Goku's energy shooting up the way it did, and his anguished scream echoing across the field, Yamcha was momentarily stunned. Goku…did it. Goku was a Super Saiyan.

"Yamcha!" Piccolo yelled, snapping Yamcha out of his stupor. "What are you waiting for?"

When Yamcha shook his head and blinked back at the others, Krillin met his gaze with an insistent glare. "Give Gohan the senzu bean! Quick!"

"Yeah!"

Yamcha could still feel the massive surge of energy pulsating in waves from the other side of the wasteland where a mumbled conversation was happening between Goku and Vegeta. As Yamcha scooped his finger between Gohan's digits curled limply around the last remaining senzu bean and looked down at Gohan's vacant, glazed-over eyes, he had to catch his breath. Yamcha's heart wrenched at the devastating sight. It wasn't right to see a kid so young _so_ close to death. If anything, it was good that Goku _thought_ his son was dead, or maybe he wouldn't be a Super Saiyan now, and soon enough they would _all_ be in Gohan's position, or worse.

Wincing at the morbid reminder of Raditz and the Earth's purge, Yamcha closed his eyes to free the terrifying memories from his mind and concentrate on what was happening in that instant. He needed to feed Gohan that senzu bean, and both of them needed to get off that field fast. Tensions were rising, even higher than before on the other side of the field. Yamcha didn't want to be in the middle of the fight when those two Saiyans would begin exchanging punches again.

"Here, Gohan," he spoke softly, pressing the bean between Gohan's dry lips, "eat."

"Hurry up!" Piccolo growled.

Yamcha knit his brows, turning with the intent to tell Piccolo to be patient. Feeding a senzu bean to an unconscious kid wasn't as easy as it looked. But when he saw the fear in Tien's, Krillin's, and Piccolo's eyes as they stared towards Vegeta and Goku behind him, Yamcha realized he really did need to hurry. Not bothering to look towards Goku and Vegeta, Yamcha tilted Gohan's chin up, trying to coax the bean down his throat.

"C'mon, Kid. Swallow it!"

"Yamcha!"

Yamcha had to get out of there, but he didn't want to move Gohan. From what he could tell, Gohan's back seemed broken, and if he moved Gohan before the senzu bean did its work, Yamcha was worried he could actually kill the kid. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as the ground beneath him began to quiver. Flashes of movement in Yamcha's peripheral vision warned him of the danger of the fight beginning again. Finally, Gohan's throat bobbed as the senzu bean went down. Huffing in relief, Yamcha didn't wait another second to take off with the kid in his arms and fly back towards the others.

"Gohan!" Piccolo met Yamcha as soon as he landed at the cliff and swept the kid out of Yamcha's arms.

Krillin's eyes darted between Yamcha and Piccolo. "Is he-?"

Gohan let out a cough and then craned his neck over Piccolo's shoulder. "Dad!"

"Oh," Krillin sighed, "what a relief!"

Yamcha smirked at the sight of the kid, looking healthy and vivacious as ever. Stronger, too. He didn't know what it was about these Saiyans, but when they bounced back, they _really_ bounced back. Yamcha could feel the kid's power, which felt almost as strong as Goku's prior to his transformation. As far as Gohan's concern over his father, Yamcha knew the kid was worrying over nothing. Goku was a Super Saiyan now. He was going to give Vegeta what'd been coming to him.

"Don't worry, Gohan," Yamcha said, "your dad's _got_ this."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

At Piccolo's warning, Yamcha balked, along with Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Gohan. Meanwhile, Dodoria was scratching his head off to the side, looking on at the fight. Yamcha turned to follow Dodoria's gaze. It looked like Vegeta and Goku were going toe to toe now, neither one really appearing to have the upper hand over the other.

Gohan turned his gaze on the battlefield. "Dad's…Dad's…a Super Saiyan?"

"Yes, Gohan." Piccolo set Gohan down and crossed his arms. "But that doesn't mean this is over."

"Wait." Tien cocked his head, his eyes locked on the fighters as they parted. "What are they doing now?"

Yamcha scratched his head at the sight of the two Super Saiyans standing at ease, far from one another. "Taking a break?"

"Come on, Goku." Krillin fidgeted. "What are you waiting for?"

Taking a deep breath, Yamcha placed his hands on his hips and set his eyes on the fighters. He could already hear their voices in the distance, and if he just closed his eyes, he was sure he could concentrate enough to hear them.

"Everyone be quiet." Piccolo demanded.

With his eyes closed, Yamcha shrugged to himself. With Piccolo there, he probably didn't even really need to listen in on Goku and Vegeta's conversation. But as their voices rose, Yamcha realized the quiet wasn't necessary. At the sound of Vegeta's voice carrying over the quiet breeze, Yamcha opened his eyes and peered at the irritable Saiyan prince.

"I don't know how you unlocked the Super Saiyan transformation, Kakarot. But _don't_ think this makes you my equal."

Standing at the other side of the field, his eyes locked with Vegeta's, Goku smirked. "I don't."

Vegeta roared with fury. "You'll never be as strong as the prince of all Saiyans!"

The two of them disappeared so fast that Yamcha had to do a double take and rub his eyes. "Whoa!"

"They're fast." Dodoria said, his gaze and demeanor steadfast.

"They're incredible." Piccolo added.

Each collision between the two Saiyans felt like an Earthquake beneath Yamcha's feet. A few jutting rocks had crumbled and fallen from the pure waves of power wafting from the fighters. It wasn't easy for Yamcha and the others, remaining steady on their feet and close enough to witness that fight. But their fate was at stake here. There was no use running. If Vegeta won this fight, they were all going to be doomed for sure.

"Hey, Gohan," Krillin said, "maybe you should get out of here. Go home where you'll be safe."

"No way, Krillin! I can't do that!"

"Hey, kid," Yamcha chuckled, "if I were you, I'd think about it."

"He can't." Piccolo said firmly. "If he runs now, Vegeta will only follow him after this. There's no point in running."

"But he's just a kid!"

Piccolo shot Krillin a glare. "Don't you think I know that? But he's also a warrior. He still has to learn not to run away every time something scares him."

"Wel-"

Yamcha cut himself short when he felt an increase in the breeze, even heard more noises from the air over all of the explosive battle clashes and yells in the distance. This noise he was hearing now - a faint hum - it was coming from behind him. Furrowing his brows, Yamcha turned. His eyes widened when he looked into the air to find a Capsule Corp plane flying overhead, coming down for a landing.

"Huh?" Krillin startled. "Yamcha, wha-"

"Bulma?"

"Bulma?" Krillin followed Yamcha's gaze, his eyes bulging when they fell on the yellow plane. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Pff." Piccolo shook his head. "What is she doing here? This is ridiculous."

Smiling fondly, Yamcha shook his head. "This is Bulma."

The plane set down atop a large, wide cliff just behind them. There was a deep crevice separating Bulma from where they currently stood, so Yamcha knew she'd be expecting someone to come and retrieve her. Yamcha was the best candidate for that job. He was half-tempted to leave her back there, though. Bulma was only putting herself in harm's way coming to watch this fight. But when she stepped out and encapsulated the plane with her blue eyes locked intently on Yamcha, Yamcha knew he'd better fly over there.

After taking a cautious glance behind him at the fighters brutalizing each other and darting across the sky in the distance, Yamcha turned his gaze back towards Bulma. "I'll be right back."

When he landed, Bulma smiled at him nonchalantly. "Hey, Yamcha."

"Bulma," Yamcha shook his head, "what are you doing here?"

Bulma gave him a withering glare. "What do you think I'm doing here? I want to watch Goku and Vegeta fight."

Even as Bulma manhandled Yamcha, putting herself into his arms, Yamcha was at a loss for words.

"Now let's go!" Bulma nodded her head vigorously, her hair tickling Yamcha's cheek. "What's happened so far?"

"So far?" Yamcha levitated slowly, knowing Bulma would pitch a fit if he moved too fast. "So far, Goku's a Super Saiyan."

"He is?!"

"And…we can't really tell who's going to win."

"Well of course Goku is." Bulma paused before she spoke again, her confidence diminished from her voice. "He has to, right?"

"Bulma!"

"Bulma!"

As Gohan and Krillin smiled, Yamcha landed gently, releasing Bulma so she could greet everyone else. He didn't need to pay much more attention to her now, and he would much rather keep focused on what was happening with the fight. Just that short conversation with Bulma reminded him how much was at stake over the outcome. Goku had never let them down before, so Yamcha knew to have faith that this was going to work out for them in the end.

"Wow!" Bulma pushed past Krillin, running to the frontline to watch the fight in front of Dodoria. "Is that really Goku?"

"Yeah." Dodoria huffed. "You mind moving out of my way? I'm watching here."

"Please." Bulma scoffed, turning a smirk on the irritated purple alien standing behind her. "With your height, you're really going to complain about _me_ blocking your view?"

"I wasn't complaining about you _blocking_ my view." Dodoria muttered.

Bulma remained firmly planted where she stood, and Dodoria didn't utter another word of complaint as his gaze was once again set on the fighters in the distance. Dodoria even lowered his hand to Bulma's shoulder, securing her where she stood as a powerful blast exuded from the fight, causing Yamcha to plant his heels in the ground. When the vortex of energy dissipated, Yamcha shook his head, smiling in amusement. Worst case scenario, if Goku _did_ lose this fight, Yamcha was sure Bulma would find a way to survive the aftermath. As long as he remained on her good side, Yamcha felt relatively safe.

A roar from the distance and surge of immense ki suddenly made Yamcha snap his gaze back to the fight. He didn't know what was going on, but it seemed Goku had come up with something to give him an edge over Vegeta. By watching the way Goku flew into Vegeta with a kick, smashing the other fighter into a mountain, Yamcha could tell that Goku exerted more power than Vegeta was prepared to counter. But how he managed that sharp spike in power over his Super Saiyan ability, Yamcha had no idea.

"The kaio-ken." Krillin said.

Yamcha cocked a brow. "Huh?"

"It's the kaio-ken!" Chiaotzu said. "Goku's using it in his Super Saiyan state!"

Bulma frowned. "What's kaio-ken?"

Witnessing Goku deliver Vegeta another devastating blow, Yamcha cried out, "wow! He's going to win!"

"Do you think," Krillin cleared his throat, "do you think Goku's going to kill him?"

Bulma blew a raspberry. " _Goku_?"

"Yes, Goku." Tien scowled at Bulma. "Goku's different now, Bulma. You can't expect his being back on Earth to suddenly erase everything he's been through in space."

Bulma met Tien's gaze. "I know better than you do about what Goku went through in space. And I'll tell you, it wasn't pretty, but if there's anyone who can bounce back from that, it's Goku."

Tien narrowed his eyes. "As opposed to someone else bouncing back from that? Just who did you have in mind, Bulma?"

Dodoria cleared his throat. "Ahem. I think I'm an impressive example of successful life after Frieza."

"Right. Successful." Piccolo rolled his eyes, before narrowing them at the fight. "He's _going_ to kill him."

Krillin choked. "What?"

Gohan shook his head. "No way, Piccolo. My dad-"

"Your dad is a Saiyan, Kid." Dodoria said. "Saiyans are warriors first and foremost. They were bred to be cold-blooded killers."

Yamcha frowned as Gohan drew in a shaky breath and whispered, "no."

Yamcha didn't know how he would feel about this if Goku _did_ kill Vegeta. He knew his immediate reaction would be happiness and relief over Goku's win. He couldn't even think past that to any negative repercussions of Goku killing a guy like Vegeta. Vegeta was a serious threat, too powerful to ignore. If Goku felt it was necessary to kill him in order to keep Earth and the rest of the universe safe, Yamcha could accept that. But before Yamcha could speak his piece, before anyone said another word, Gohan gasped. His gasp could've been attributed to the brutal beating his father was now giving to Vegeta, now that the tables had turned, but Yamcha knew it wasn't. Gohan's gaze wasn't fixed on Vegeta shooting across the sky and plummeting into another crumbling canyon, but instead on the distant, seemingly vacant sky to the far left of the field.

"Gohan?"

Krillin turned along with Yamcha to follow Gohan's gaze. "What is it?"

"I," Gohan furrowed his brows, "I see something. Something's coming."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at Gohan and shook his head. "I don't hear anything. Can't be a plane."

"No," Gohan shook his head and squinted, "it looks small. Like a person."

"What?" Yamcha laughed. "That's impossible. There's no energy coming from that direction. Someone would need to have some serious ki to fly here on their own."

"But still…"

"Wait." Bulma's eyes bulged as she raised her finger towards the sky. "He's right! Look!"

Yamcha shook his head fervently. There was no way. He couldn't believe his own eyes. Someone _was_ coming, but Yamcha still couldn't pick up on even the most miniscule energy level. Whoever it was had to be powerful, though, because he was approaching Vegeta and Goku intently and with incredible speed, in spite of the obvious fight and powerful devastation the Saiyans were causing to the area. Yamcha recognized facial features as the glaring, determined being came nearer. It looked like an old man with a white mop of hair and bushy mustache, wearing an odd black hat and strange, puffy clothing.

"Who's that?" Dodoria asked.

"The real question is," Piccolo added as he tensed and assumed a ready position to spring into action, "why doesn't he have any ki when he's obviously powerful?"

Bulma crossed her arms and scowled. "He looks like just some ugly old man."

"Whoa!" Tien balked, as did everyone else, when the old man zoomed right between Goku and Vegeta, kicking Goku across the face before Goku had the chance to react. "What the hell?"

"Goku!" Bulma cried.

Yamcha grabbed Bulma, trapping her in his arms. He knew she couldn't possibly go anywhere, but he wouldn't put it past Bulma to try. Whoever this guy was, he was scary. For anyone to be able to disrupt that fight and actually do damage to Goku, he had to be amazingly powerful. It was just so frustrating, not knowing how powerful that person was, or where he came from.

The old man's laughter echoed across the wasteland as Goku pulled himself out of the rock in which he was embedded and shook it off. "Hey! Who're you?"

Yamcha held his breath as he anticipated an explanation from this strange man, but Vegeta reacted first. Yamcha realized he should have seen that coming.

"Kakarot," Vegeta laughed loudly, poising himself in mid-air to attack the intruder, "you let this nobody knock you down? That's what you get for letting your guard down. Watch _me_ handle this freak."

The old man laughed, his back remaining to Vegeta even as Vegeta moved in for the attack. To Yamcha's eyes, Vegeta disappeared, leaving Yamcha wildly searching the scene for his whereabouts. But the old man remained calm and cool, crossing his arms and smirking to himself.

"I," Bulma gasped, "I think I know that man."

Yamcha raised his brows, intending to inquire further, but that was when a clash boomed through the valley, ringing in Yamcha's ears. The explosive noise was accompanied by a cloud of dust around the stranger. While waiting for it to settle, Yamcha cast Bulma a sidelong glance. Piccolo beat him to asking the question on his mind.

"Bulma," Piccolo said, "who is that man?"

"Well," Bulma gnawed her bottom lip, "I don't know how this is possible, but did you see the symbol on his hat?"

Blinking, Yamcha recalled the red symbol with the letters "RR" printed on the old man's hat. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was there. And now that Bulma was pointing it out, the significance of those letters was blaringly obvious.

"Yeah!" Krillin said. "Red Ribbon. He's from the Red Ribbon Army?"

"I thought Goku took them all out." Tien said, exchanging a curious glance with Chiaotzu.

"If he's who I think he is," Bulma shook her head, "he's not just _from_ the Red Ribbon Army. He was a brilliant scientist and inventor."

"A scientist?" Dodoria scoffed. "Inventor? I don't know what this Red Ribbon crud is, but no lousy scientist could've just pulled a move like that. _Look_ at Vegeta!"

Sure enough, Dodoria had a point. As Yamcha watched Vegeta fall from the sky in wide-eyed shock and apparent agony, he realized this was all too impossible. The man was not only able to completely hide any traces of power, but he was besting _two_ Super Saiyans, seemingly effortlessly.

"Vegeta!" Goku cried, before baring his teeth and launching at the old man.

Gasps rang out amidst their crowd as everyone witnessed Goku clashing fists with the old man, landing a few blows, only to see the old man fighting back and remaining unaffected by Goku's hits. Yamcha shook his head and grit his teeth. This was bad. This was really bad. He didn't know exactly what the old man's intentions were, but seeing where he came from and seeing him attacking Goku, this couldn't be good. Things had just escalated to a situation that was worse than Vegeta. When the old man embedded his fist deep in Goku's gut, Yamcha screamed. As the old man struck again and Goku was thrown into the ground at full force, Yamcha grit his teeth. He could do nothing but watch as the old man moved towards Goku, raising his palm in the air and forming a mass of energy that looked powerful enough to kill even a Super Saiyan. Digging his fingers into his scalp, Yamcha paced anxiously in place. He had to do something, but he knew there was nothing he could do. There was nothing any of them could do.

"Dad! Come on, guys!" Gohan cried. "We have to do something!"

Piccolo snatched Gohan by the nape of his gi just as the kid was taking off. "You're not going anywhere, Gohan. There's nothing you can do."

"But Piccolo!"

"Goku," Krillin growled, "Goku's going to _die_ if we don't do something!"

"Dr. Gero." Bulma said absently. "That was his name. Dr. Gero."

It was like torture, watching Goku rising to his feet on shaking legs. Even with his golden glow and Super Saiyan power, Goku seemed defenseless against the crazed doctor.

Dr. Gero sneered as he looked down at Goku, brandishing the power in his palm. "You alien murderers have _no_ idea what you've done by destroying my life's work! You have _no_ idea what damage your power will do to this Earth….to the entire universe!"

Yamcha's eyes bulged when Dr. Gero pulled back his glowing hand, looking to land the final blow on Goku. "I _won't_ let you kill me again."

But then, something extraordinary happened. Out of nowhere, something flew at Dr. Gero, knocking him flying into a rock and reabsorbing the power he'd gathered. Not some _thing_ , but some _one_. Vegeta.

As the doctor recovered from the blow and met Vegeta's gaze with a heated glare, Vegeta adjusted his glove and narrowed his eyes. "You should _know_ not to interfere with our fight, old man. If anyone's killing Kakarot today, it's going to be me."

"Vegeta," Goku smiled as he rose to Vegeta's side, "you-"

"Save it, Kakarot. I still intend to kill you when this is over. But first, I'm going to kill _him_."

Goku chuckled and raised his fists. "Not if I kill 'im first."

As Goku blasted towards the doctor, Vegeta's eyes bulged. "Hey!"

Growling, Vegeta launched to join in the fight, and before Yamcha knew it, the three of them were engaged in a heated battle, Vegeta and Goku apparently siding with one another, or at least not attempting to attack each other as they both tried to take down that old man with inexplicable power. Still, though the odds were against him, the old man seemed to be winning the fight.

As Yamcha watched Goku, and then Vegeta plummet to the Earth with ear-shattering collisions, his entire body trembled. An enemy that couldn't be taken out by two Super Saiyans was a nightmare. Yamcha hoped for the best from Goku, but at this point, it looked like Dr. Gero was above and beyond any level of power the Super Saiyans could achieve, even with Goku's kaoi-ken giving him that extra boost. Looking around at the others, Yamcha could see the graveness of the situation in their eyes. And he thought _he_ was worried. By the looks on the other's faces, this was more serious than he thought.

* * *

A/N: Still on schedule, and once again at the same time as this post, posted the next chapter on the site mentioned on the previous chapter's author's note. I had mentioned before about Dr. Gero playing a different role in this a/u. Well, the future changed a _whole_ lot.


	44. Warning from the Future

If they'd arrived here a minute later, it might've been too late.

Judging by the grim stares he saw on the familiar faces of those standing on the sidelines and watching the battle, Trunks knew it was getting close to that vital point in the fight. A glance towards the explosive noise to the side confirmed it. Goku and Vegeta were both down. Dr. Gero was preparing to move in for the kill. That scientist was one crafty android. He _almost_ outmaneuvered them.

"Goten," Trunks shot a glare at his long-haired friend hovering beside him, "we need to move _now_."

"Right."

With a surge of power, Trunks raised his power to unleash his transformation, while watching the same golden glow surge from his determined friend. "You get your dad, I'll get mine!"

Goten balked. "But who's going to kill-"

Trunks was already zooming towards Dr. Gero. He owed that underhanded coward. Trunks wanted to be the one to take him out. After all, Dr. Gero was about to cheat Trunks once again out of the chance of meeting his father. It was Dr. Gero who had kept his mother in an endless race to success these past years, aging her beyond her years with the undue stress that was thrust upon her, due to his devious plans. Sure Goten had suffered along with them as well, grown to know Bulma almost as a mother himself, but it wasn't the same.

"Trunks!"

Goten's outraged cry wasn't enough to deter Trunks. However, it did alert Dr. Gero of his incoming attack. When the maniacal doctor turned his back to the fallen Saiyans in order to set his wide eyes on Trunks, Trunks bared his teeth and growled. He was moving swiftly, and there was no way Dr. Gero was going to have a chance to defend before he made contact, but Trunks still hated the fact that Goten ruined his element of surprise.

Screaming, Trunks thrust both hands forward, joining them together as he reached point-blank range with the stunned android. Dr. Gero didn't scream. He didn't flee. He didn't even say a word as his mouth fell open in the light of the blazing blast Trunks was unleashing on him. Trunks' eyes lit at the sight of his brilliant light smothering the android, who was too late in his attempt to raise his hands and absorb the energy that would destroy him. Trunks had a satisfied gleam in his eyes at finally ridding the universe of the _android_ ironically out to murder anything inhuman.

"Trunks!" Goten's voice panted from behind him as the blast flickered and subsided. "We said we were doing this as a team."

Casting a sideways glance at Goten's scolding glare, Trunks huffed. "Well when it came to Dr. Gero, I lied."

"You're such a jerk."

Trunks smirked. "Takes one to know one."

"Hey!" The stunned outcry from the distance made Trunks wince. He knew that voice well. It was the only voice here he knew well, and probably the only voice in this wasteland that would scare him. "Who are _you two_?"

"And where," the deeper, sterner voice of Piccolo called, "did you come from all of a sudden?"

Turning on the voices, Trunks was careful not to lose sight of the Saiyans down below, or the settling ashes of his latest kill. He would like to think that kill was a success, but knowing what he knew about Dr. Gero, being unable to sense his energy, he couldn't believe it until he saw it. Fortunately, Goten was keeping his wits about him as well, also keeping an eye on the unmoving Saiyans – the ones they were really here to address.

With his eyes darting back and forth, Trunks proceeded to address his interrogators. "Where we came from and who we are is a long story, and frankly not one meant for any of you to know."

"What?" Krillin raised a dubious brow, a smile of amusement crossing his face.

Trunks shook his head, trying not to smile. "Goku and Vegeta are both still alive, right?"

"Yeah," Yamcha rubbed his head and frowned at the men buried in craters below them, "I hope so. At least in Goku's case anyway."

"Whoever you two are," Gohan's youthful smile threw Trunks offguard, "thank you. You saved them."

Goten chuckled and rubbed the back of his golden head of hair. "Uh, yeah. No problem. It was kind of in our best interest."

"Hey," with Dodoria gripping her shoulders tensely, Bulma narrowed her eyes perceptively, "you two are both Super Saiyans, aren't you?"

"How is that even possible?"

After casting a furtive glance at Piccolo's disbelieving face, Bulma turned a more demanding look on Trunks. "You knew him, didn't you?"

There was no need for Bulma to say who she was referring to. Between Dr. Gero being the reason for their appearance and her glance towards the dwindling smoky remains where Dr. Gero had just been killed, it was obvious. Trunks exchanged a glance with Goten, who raised his brows with insistence before pointedly redirecting his gaze to the Saiyans below. With an affirming nod, Trunks watched Goten fly to the ground before redirecting his gaze to the others and speaking in a rush.

"He was Dr. Gero. He came here from the future in his time machine, looking to kill Vegeta and Goku out of revenge."

Yamcha crossed his arms, looking perplexed. "We know why Dr. Gero would hold a grudge against Goku. And sure Vegeta's a bad guy, but what reason did Dr. Gero have to want revenge against _him_? He hasn't done anything bad to anyone on Earth yet."

Trunks' attention was drawn to what was happening below him. Goten was meeting Goku on the ground, who had lost his Super Saiyan charge, but seemed to be coming around from his recent beating as he was rising to his feet. Vegeta, in the crater not too far from them, was lolling his head side to side with a pained grimace on his face, seemingly coming around as well. Trunks had to get down there before something bad happened. With a quick glance at the others, at their confused, questioning gazes, Trunks shook his head and flew down to meet the others.

"Wait here!" He shouted to the others as he flew.

He wanted to be sure no one followed. Because no one but Goku and Vegeta could hear what he was about to say. Trunks needed Goten to keep Goku out of the way while he talked to his father alone first. He was sure Goten wasn't going to refrain from talking to his father. As long as he didn't tell _too_ much, and it didn't do any damage to the future, he would allow it. For now, he really needed to talk to Vegeta. Goku was already transforming into a Super Saiyan again.

"Hey!" Trunks landed just as Goten was bracing both hands on Goku's chest, holding the battle-ready Saiyan back. "Cool it!"

Goku shot a glare at Trunks. " _You_ killed that old guy?"

"That old guy," Trunks seethed, "was Dr. Gero, from the Red Ribbon Army. You remember him, don't you?"

Goku's eyes bulged. "Yeah! I thought I killed him!"

Trunks chuckled. "Ironically, you did."

With his brows furrowed in confusion, Goku looked from Trunks to Goten, Goten to Trunks, only taking a quick glance at Vegeta before settling his gaze on Goten. "You two look familiar."

"They're both Super Saiyans, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted.

Trunks spun on his heels, raising his fists as Vegeta walked towards them. He wasn't surprised to see Vegeta power up again to assume the same transformation they all wore. He was sure the crowd above had to be mesmerized by this. They still had so much to learn in this time. Trunks expected hostility from his young father, but he never imagined it to be as great as it felt. It practically radiated off of him.

"How is this even possible?" Vegeta bared his teeth. "Tell us who you are!"

"No." Trunks glared at his father, before turning a quick glare on Goku. "You stay with _him_ , and we'll talk over there."

When Trunks raised his finger in a direction away from the others watching from a safe distance and further from where Goku and Goten stood, Goku looked at him in disbelief.

So did his father. "We're in the middle of a battle. Who says I'm interested in talking with you?"

In a flash, Trunks was face to face with Vegeta, glaring down at his father. "You'll want to hear what I have to say."

Vegeta's astonishment was evident on his face. It was clearly burning him that Trunks had the audacity to make demands like he did, and probably killing him inside to see Trunks so easily take out that android that he and Goku both hadn't stood a chance against.

"It's eating away at you, isn't it?" Trunks smirked. "Wondering how two more Super Saiyans can possibly exist."

Vegeta scoffed, then growled and looked away. Trunks could see his fists clenching by his sides. He was making the decision, right in that moment, to hear Trunks out. It was amazing, really. All his sixteen years of life, he'd never seen his father – almost never thought he cared to. But seeing him now, he had to admit that Vegeta was a sight to behold. He could see why everyone knew him for being full of pride. It seemed to be the only emotion aside from anger that the Saiyan prince had.

"Well? If you're going to talk," Vegeta spat, "get on with it already."

With a smirk and a nod, Trunks took off and led Vegeta to a good place. A few glances over his shoulder confirmed that Goten was doing what he was supposed to, keeping Goku away. Hopefully, Goku didn't overwhelm Trunks' impressionable friend with questions. Trunks was sure it wasn't easy for Goten to see his dad again, not after everything that happened nearly a decade ago in their time.

As soon as his feet touched the soil, Trunks was talking. "Dr. Gero was a genius inventor killed here on Earth back when your Saiyan pal took Goku and purged the planet."

"I had nothing to do with that."

"Dr. Gero didn't know that. He just knew an alien was the cause. And when Goku wished everyone back to life, Dr. Gero started work on his greatest invention – an android strong enough to defeat any alien invader."

With his arms crossed and a deepening scowl on his face, Vegeta tapped his finger on his bicep.

"But it took him years. Too many years. By the time he was done, it was too late."

"What are you going on about? I don't care about any blasted androids!"

Trunks smirked and flicked his gaze towards Goku. "You two need to stop fighting now. You're going to need each other."

Vegeta laughed. It was to be expected.

Trunks didn't let it deter him. "We're here to make sure no one kills each other today, though it wasn't going to happen anyways."

Vegeta stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"We traveled here from the future, my friend and I. Following after Dr. Gero, of course."

"Future? Right." Vegeta snorted. "Super Saiyans and an android from the future."

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Trunks countered. "More sense than two other Super Saiyans and an android stronger than Super Saiyans existing _now_ , right?"

As Vegeta's brows furrowed, his eyes darting side to side in thought, Trunks directed his eyes pointedly towards the crowd in the distance. "Who knows. Maybe my friend from the future is that kid right over there."

Vegeta gasped, though as his brows knit together and his lip turned down in a deeper scowl, Trunks knew he wasn't going to admit that he was buying into any of this. But Trunks didn't need to convince him. Not yet. He just needed to get Vegeta thinking. Gohan was a nice distraction, too. Trunks had to give himself more credit for this. And his mother was worried they wouldn't be able to handle the two older Saiyans.

"If you're from the future," Vegeta cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, "who wins this fight? Me or Kakarot?"

Vegeta was testing him. Trunks knew it. He also knew, either way, telling him who won wasn't going to be helpful. It was best to leave Vegeta guessing. The continued rivalry between the two was only going to drive them to get stronger. That was necessary, if the Earth was going to have a future.

"I told you. No one is killing anyone today."

Vegeta seized Trunks by the collar of his jacket, yanking him violently down. "You said you came from the future! In your time, who won this fight?"

Trunks set his jaw with determination, remaining in his father's grip. "You should be more worried about what happens _after_ this fight. It's after this fight that you'll die."

"What?"

"In a few years, a threat will come that will kill _everyone_ on Earth."

"Me?"

"No."

"If that _everyone_ doesn't include me, boy," Vegeta said, "I don't care."

"You _won't_ care. Because you'll already be dead."

Vegeta gasped. "So Kakarot-"

"No. In my time, Vegeta, you don't die in battle."

Vegeta furrowed his brows. "What? A Saiyan always dies in battle!"

"Somewhere in space, during your time training to defeat Frieza, you contracted a rare virus." Trunks paused as Vegeta absorbed that information, though by the scowl on his face, he was probably in serious denial about the fact. "That virus had no cure, and you died from it."

Vegeta growled and yanked on Trunks until they were nose to nose. "Don't mess with me, Boy."

"I'm not messing with you." Trunks reached into his pocket to retrieve the small vial held there and shoved it against Vegeta's abdomen. "I'm saving your life."

Confusion flickered across Vegeta's eyes before he slowly released Trunks to take the vial from Trunks' hand. "Why?"

"If you don't listen to me and take that when you start having heart pain, you won't _live_ long enough to see the greatest enemy you'll ever come up against."

"What great enemy?"

Trunks smirked. "We can keep your heart virus just between us, but I can't give you all the secrets about the future. And you can't be the only one to know any of this."

Vegeta's gaze quickly shot to the crowd above. Trunks was surprised to see him looking that way, rather than at Goku, but when Trunks followed his gaze, he could see why Vegeta was concerned about them. Piccolo was smirking at Vegeta, and if Trunks remembered Piccolo correctly, it was probably because Piccolo thought he had some advantage over Vegeta now. When Trunks looked back to Vegeta, he caught sight of the vial disappearing beneath Vegeta's armor as it was discreetly tucked away. There was really nothing he could do about Piccolo's overhearing. Hopefully Piccolo would keep it to himself. If anything, Trunks knew Piccolo had good judgement, so if he heard the rest, he wasn't going to try anything against Vegeta when he heard the rest of the story.

"My friend is telling Goku this same information I'm about to give you as we speak."

As Vegeta sneered, his eyes darted past Trunks' shoulder, to where they'd left Goku and Goten. "Why does _he_ need to know?"

"Because neither of you are going to survive against this enemy unless you work _together_. Your survival and everyone else's depends on both of your cooperation."

"Well, then," Vegeta crossed his arms, "I guess we're all going to die in the future."

"Stop being so stubborn!"

It was the first time Trunks lost his temper in front of his father. Control was easy. It was easy to be firm with him. But losing control, Trunks didn't like that. Especially not in this situation. If he didn't deliver this information in the right way, this could all be for nothing. Their travel to the past, his mother's years of planning and building the time machine, their countless encounters with Gero during their struggle, and their avoidance of that monster that was still on a destructive path somewhere in the universe, hopefully staying far from his mother. It wasn't going to get any better unless they got these stubborn Saiyans to set aside their pride and cooperate.

Taking a deep breath, Trunks set his gaze on Vegeta again, this time calmer. He could do this. He had to convince him. It was the only way to save the Earth's future.


	45. End Pursuit

Goku didn't know which feeling was stronger at the moment – the feeling of confusion over what was happening and who these other Saiyans were, or the feeling of indignation over his fight with Vegeta being interrupted. As he stood there with the teen's hand pressed firmly against his chest, he wanted to resume his fight. Vegeta was busy at the moment and Goku wasn't trying to attack, but knowing this teen would stop him if he tried was irritating.

With his eyes twitching after wondering what the other boy could be telling Vegeta, Goku snapped his gaze to the teen boy right in front of him whose concentration seemed fixed on the other two as well. The super saiyan youth didn't just look familiar – he looked _very_ familiar. When that sensation of familiarity washed over Goku, the younger Saiyan's teal eyes darted to meet his.

"Don't I," Goku pressed his finger to his chin and narrowed his eyes at the shaggy blonde long hair and familiar worrisome grimace in front of him, "know you from somewhere?"

The boy's mouth moved to speak before the words finally came out. "N-no! You've never met me before. That's…that's the truth."

Goku's eyes narrowed. "Whoever you are, you have no right to step in. You interrupted my fight with Vegeta."

"Yeah," he rubbed his head with a glance towards the other two Saiyans, "I'm sure you're disappointed, but that's over now."

"Over?"

The teen's eyes bulged. "Yeah! Look, you and Vegeta have more important things to worry about now."

Goku crossed his arms and frowned. "Since the two of you already took care of him, I think we can-"

"Not him."

Goku gasped. The sudden severity of the others' stare was alarming after how flustered he had been just earlier. Goku could tell that whatever _else_ these guys had in mind had to be serious. He couldn't take it lightly, and if Dr. Gero wasn't their biggest concern, whatever else these guys knew had to be incredible. His fight with Vegeta could wait. For now.

"Dr. Gero didn't time travel from Earth - he traveled from space, like we did. In our time, Earth is already gone. Dr. Gero was nothing compared to what's coming."

Goku raised his brows. "What's coming?"

The younger man smirked. "It's another being, much more powerful than Dr. Gero – more powerful than you can even imagine right now."

Goku felt his heart begin to race. He was sure before that being a Super Saiyan had to be the ultimate goal for power, but already he could tell there were levels beyond that, and not just a little bit. He wanted to know how much further he could go. He almost wanted to test his strength against the young man in front of him right at that moment.

"What I'm about to tell you," the teen said, "is news from the future. A warning, really."

Goku smirked. He was sure if this was from so far in the future, this couldn't be that big of a threat. He'd have plenty of time to prepare and make himself stronger before this threat would come along. But he was willing to listen, to prepare himself for this new enemy.

"This fight will be really exciting for you, Go…ku," the teen winced, causing Goku to quirk a brow, "but it won't happen if you can't keep peace with Vegeta for the time being. You two need to keep your distance for now, train, and in a few years, you'll be ready."

"Ready for what? Who?"

"Majin Buu." The boy's eyes narrowed into a glare. "We were all at a tournament, getting ready for some friendly matches when this _wizard_ showed up-"

"Wizard?" Goku huffed. "You're tellin' me a _wizard_ destroyed the Earth? We couldn't fight him?"

"This wizard manipulated _your power,_ Goku _,_ to release Majin Buu. Majin Buu is a monster, much more powerful than you. Even at that time in the future, he was too much for you to handle."

"What? No way!"

"Yes." The boy impressed a glare upon Goku. "You were killed by him. Almost everyone was, and those who weren't, well they died when he blew up the Earth. That monster is still out there in our time, destroying more of the universe with no one to stop him. _That's_ why Dr. Gero worked so hard to come back here. It's why we've worked so hard to come back here. Without Bulma's help, we never would've made it back here to warn you, so don't let this warning go to waste."

Goku blinked. "Bulma survived?"

The boy smiled. "Who do you think built the time machine?"

Goku pointed across the field, towards the other boy still having a heated discussion with Vegeta. "And who's that?"

"That's-" the boy shook his head, "he's my friend. That's all you need to know."

Goku laughed and placed his hands on his hips. "I can't know a couple of strong guys who survived somethin' that killed even _me_? I wanna meet this guy."

"Wait!"

Goku levitated quickly, smirking to himself as he realized he caught the boy offguard. When he took off towards Vegeta and the other kid, he was surprised to realize that his reason for traveling that way had changed. It wasn't that he had completely lost interest in his fight with Vegeta, but for now it was obvious that these two were even _stronger_ than Vegeta, and Goku wanted to see what kind of power they had.

"Wait, okay!" The Super Saiyan boy flew alongside Goku when he was halfway across the field. "We'll show you something. Both you and Vegeta should see this anyways."

"Hey!" The indignant voice echoed from the valley below just as Goku and the boy touched ground side by side. "What are you doing over here?!"

The other boy was obviously addressing the kid, but Goku frowned back at him all the same. There was something Goku didn't like about that kid already. Whatever he'd said to Vegeta, it was clear that Vegeta was still wary of these two. Vegeta's eyes remained trained on both of them, hardly even resting on Goku. Goku was surprised that his proximity wasn't putting Vegeta on edge, but he suspected that what they'd just been told by the teens might've changed Vegeta's feelings about their situation. Maybe their battle _wasn't_ going to reach a conclusion.

The boy hissed to the other under his breath. "We need to show them."

The boy by Vegeta's side gasped, before looking at Goku and Vegeta, and then back to his friend. "Okay. I guess this is a better time than any."

"Hold it!" Vegeta blocked the path of the young man walking away. "What are you two up to?"

"Let them go, Vegeta." Goku cast Vegeta a glare. "I want to see what they're going to do."

"Kakarot!" Vegeta put a stilling hand on the young man's shoulder when he tried to pass again. "How do we know they won't take _us_ out like they did that blasted android?"

Goku frowned. "Android?"

As his eyes darted back and forth between the faces of the two suspicious youths, he came to the realization that they were keeping a lot of secrets for people supposedly on their side. They even refused to share their names. And Goku could not only see, but could _feel_ the familiarity from the both of them, though from the one who'd held him back earlier, it was much stronger.

The long-haired young super saiyan cocked a grin. "What's the matter, Vegeta?"

The other boy batted Vegeta's hand away. "You worried we might actually be that much stronger than you?"

When his hand was flung to his side from the rough handling of the boy, Vegeta growled back at the teens. "Of course not! I've seen what you can do."

The teens exchanged a glance and spoke in unison, "Not everything."

As the long-haired boy passed, he nudged Goku with an elbow. "You'll like this."

Goku watched the boys go their separate ways, before stopping when they were just a few paces from one another. As they both stood there, facing Goku and Vegeta, Goku looked at Vegeta with a sigh. The other Saiyan looked irritated about all of this, but Goku felt otherwise – he could feel his excitement building. He didn't even know what they were doing, but seeing how powerful both young Super Saiyans already were, he could only imagine that this was going to be exciting.

"I think we should trust them, Vegeta." Goku said, rousing an unamused grunt from his rival. "They came all this way to warn us. I don't think they're going to do anything to harm us."

As the boys gave each other a nod and extended their arms firmly in opposite directions, Goku cast a glance at the others still watching from the distance. His eyes met Gohan's worrisome gaze and for an instant, he felt his son's worry. If these two _were_ planning on doing them any harm, the others might be killed as well. At the very least, Gohan would be left once again without a father.

Goku almost wondered if they'd all be better off that way. Sometimes it felt like his existence just brought unnecessary trouble to everyone around him. If these kids looking intently at Goku and Vegeta weren't really there to help them, Goku could face whatever consequences were coming to him. But then, he couldn't ignore his gut telling him he didn't have anything to fear from them.

"Watch closely," the boy to Vegeta's side narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, "both of you!"

Goku focused his gaze on the strange pose the boys took as they prepared for a joint effort to show them something. His brows rose in surprise as the super saiyan teens approached each other with their heels pressed together, calling out, "fu-"

When their arms swung around, Goku gnawed his bottom lip, absorbing this like he'd absorbed every technique he'd ever witnessed before, even though this one was striking him as something silly. It reminded him of when he met the Ginyu Force.

"-sion," the boys once again spoke in unison as they their knees were uplifted in juxtaposed positions from their arms, which once again came around to meet in the middle.

"-ha!"

When their fingertips touched, Goku's eyes widened. A light was emanating from that point of contact, so bright and blinding that Goku had to shield his eyes. He could feel a surge of power pulse past him as Vegeta audibly grunted at the efforts of maintaining his footing in the wake of that amazing force. The light seemed to slowly dissipate in subtle flashes until Goku hesitantly opened his eyes. What he saw when he opened them was beyond comprehension. Rather than the two teens standing there with a new transformation or amazing power-up, there was one young man, from whom Goku could still feel both of their energies.

It was _them_.

"H-how is this possible?!" Vegeta shouted.

The _new_ teen from the future chuckled and rubbed his nose. "Were you both watching closely? I hope so. I'm the fusion of the other two. What they just did is a fusion dance."

"Fusion dance?"

Vegeta scoffed. "It certainly looked like a dance. What a disgraceful pose for warriors."

"Disgraceful?" The fusion raised a brow and extended his hand aimed at something past Goku and Vegeta's shoulders. "Does _this_ look disgraceful to you?"

Before Goku had even seen what the strange youth was doing, an explosion sounded from behind him. His eyes bulged as he let out a gasp and spun around to witness the rocks ricocheting off the destroyed mass of blasted mountainous rock and the balls of fire flying through the air. The power he felt from that blast was _amazing_. He'd never felt anything like that. And when his gaze shot back to the boy, he was amazed to see that the boy looked like he'd hardly put any effort into it.

"I have both of their power, combined."

The boy suddenly appeared right in front of Vegeta, making the saiyan stumble backwards and Goku utter a choked sound from between his barely parted lips. The kid wasn't lying. His power…was massive.

"Now, you can see why you two need to work together. You're going to have to do _this_ , reach _this_ level, or Buu will kill everyone and destroy the Earth. Those two came back here to prevent history from repeating itself. Even joined in this form, Goku, you couldn't defeat Buu."

"What? I did that with Vegeta?"

The fused boy cast Vegeta a strange look. Goku furrowed his brows at Vegeta, who looked back at the younger Saiyan with a look of understanding. Goku didn't know what _that_ was about, but he knew he was missing something.

"Not Vegeta. Gohan. But I'm telling you, it won't work."

Goku glanced at Gohan, who like the others all moving in agitation, appeared mystified by what they were witnessing, as well as impatient with their wait.

"You two need to practice these moves. Memorize them so you can use the technique when the time comes. It'll be years before Buu arrives, so you don't want to forget how to perform the fusion."

Goku opened his mouth to ask a question. He wanted to know more about what happened with him and Gohan in their future, but the boy cut him off.

"And remember, both of your powers have to be at the same level, or it won't work. Your movements have to be precise."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "I never agreed to this."

"I can't make you agree." The boy scowled at Vegeta. "But if you choose not to, this Earth and every planet like it will die. We _know_ you two can kill Buu and prevent your universe from turning into the mess ours has become, but that's not going to happen if you kill one another before then."

"If that's true, why couldn't me and Gohan do it?"

The boys' eyes widened, before flickering with doubt. "It's…complicated."

"What makes you think uniting with Kakarot is the only way I can beat him?"

"No one can win alone, Vegeta. You'll learn that soon enough."

"What are you going on abou-"

"Hey, you!" With a gasp of realization, Goku shot his finger in the fused boy's direction. "You say this Majin Buu is still alive in your time?"

"Yes."

"Then isn't Bulma in danger as long as you're here?"

The boy clenched his jaw. "We're _always_ in danger. There's no getting away from Buu. She's lying low for now, until we get back."

"Then you'd better get back soon. Tell Bulma I said hi."

The fused teen looked towards the others, smiling when his eyes met Bulma. "Yeah. I'll tell her, Goku." The boy snapped his gaze back to Goku and Vegeta. "Your fight is over today. Whatever pent-up vengeance or anger you hold towards one another, save it for Majin Buu. Live your lives in peace for now. Train for the battle that's coming, but don't go after each other. Just keep your distance for the next few years if that's what you have to do."

Goku pursed his lips and shot a sidelong glance at Vegeta. He didn't like leaving a battle unfinished. He really didn't like not knowing who would've won. But if everything this kid, or _these_ kids from the future claimed was true, he guessed he didn't really have a reason to hate Vegeta.

He'd exacted his vengeance on Raditz already. Frieza had met his well-deserved end. Goku was with his family now, and his friends, who were safe and alive. Like Piccolo, Vegeta never did kill anyone nor do any serious damage that was unforgiveable.

Goku supposed he could put his pursuit of vengeance to rest with Vegeta. Maybe letting go and focusing on the future would help Goku resettle his life on Earth. With a glance towards the others as the teen from the future flew to join them up there, Goku swallowed hard. Just seeing his son and his friends, old and new up there, worrying about him and gathering around the powerful stranger from the future, Goku recalled what he was really fighting for all along. With a sigh, both resigned and decisive, Goku powered down from his Super Saiyan transformation.

"What are you doing?"

Goku smiled at Vegeta. "Just what he said. We're done, Vegeta."

Vegeta raised his fist and deepened his scowl. "We're not done until _I_ say we're done."

Unflinching, Goku shook his head. "Don't you want to fight this Majin Buu? I know I do."

"With you?"

"Yeah." Goku rubbed his head. "That part's a little hard to swallow, isn't it?"

"You _think_?"

Goku smiled to himself and turned his gaze on the teen landing by the others in the distance. "We have time. I'm sure we'll find some other way of handlin' this Buu without needin' to do that."

"Good." Vegeta growled. "Because you're insane if you think I'm joining with you."

Goku chuckled. He couldn't help being amused by Vegeta's attitude. Same old Vegeta. Vegeta was probably never going to change, but if these kids from the future thought he could live on Earth without causing any problems, Goku had to give them the benefit of the doubt. They _were_ from the future, after all. Besides, Goku knew Vegeta would see things his way.

Eventually.

* * *

When he landed, Gotenks let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. To see Trunks' mother so young, and see all of the others again, especially Goten's big brother, it was hard to process. He couldn't tell them who he was. If he slipped to someone, both Goten and Trunks' existence could be in danger. But Gotenks had to tell them there was promise for their future, that he meant them no harm, and he had something important to convey to Trunks' mother.

"Wow, uh…" Tien stepped forward, cocking his head as he looked Gotenks up and down, "you…really did quite a trick there. I've multiplied myself, but never-"

"I won't exist for much longer." When Bulma gasped, Gotenks huffed in amusement. "I mean, the fusion will end soon. The other two will be here again when it happens. It doesn't last long. That's why those guys are gonna have to use it wisely."

As Gotenks threw a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Goku and Vegeta, Krillin's eyes bulged. " _Those_ guys?"

Gotenks nodded. "I'm counting on you all to make sure they don't screw it up."

Dodoria scoffed, while Piccolo crossed his arms and stepped forward. "That's a tall order. You expect _us_ to control those two power-hungry morons?"

Gotenks smirked. "If anyone can do it, you can, Piccolo. Am I right, Gohan?"

Gohan blinked. "H-how do you know all of our names? Who are you?"

"Well right now I'm-"

Gotenks' eyes bulged when he realized he'd almost given Goten and Trunks away, telling Gohan the names of the two individuals from whom he formed. Somehow talking to a younger Gohan had him letting his guard down. He had to be more careful.

" _Whoever_ you are," Bulma huffed, "you're a Super Saiyan _and_ you wiped out Dr. Gero. Thanks for that."

Gotenks smiled. He had been prepared, given Bulma's initially domineering approach, for some sort of tongue-lashing. When she turned it around and thanked him, he was relieved beyond belief.

"Too bad you can't take out Vegeta." Bulma smiled. "If Goku didn't need him for this fusion thing-"

"He's more important than that." Gotenks narrowed his eyes at Bulma, who blinked back at him. "He's going to live at Capsule Corp for now. Do me a favor and make sure he's taking care of himself, will you, Bulma?"

Bulma blinked again. "Taking care of himself?"

Gotenks smiled. "You'll know what I mean when the time comes."

"Hey, uh…whoever you are." Gohan raised a hand hesitantly before tapping his fingers together. "When is all of this supposed to happen? Piccolo told us the gist of what you were – or what the other two were saying over there, but-"

"If Goku and Vegeta do as I asked," Gotenks said, "hopefully your future will turn out much differently than mine. None of you will die in your future. But you'll be mostly grown by the time this happens, Gohan. Don't worry about anything bad happening now. You should have a long time of peace. Grow up and be a scholar like you always wanted."

"Really?"

Yamcha chuckled at Gohan's beaming expression. "That's great, Gohan. This kid deserves a break."

Piccolo smiled down at Gohan. "He sure does."

"I want to-" Gotenks froze.

He could feel it, coming on so suddenly that before he knew it, he was gone.

* * *

"Hey." Krillin rubbed his fists into his eyes at the blurring, double-vision sensation happening. "What the-"

Tien gasped. "You split in two again!"

"Dammit," Dodoria growled and shook his head violently, "stop freaking me out, Kid! Kids!"

When Krillin looked Dodoria's way, he could see that Dodoria's eyes were bugging out probably worse than his were. But now, standing in front of them were _two_ boys, the same super Saiyans who had initially arrived to fight Dr. Gero.

Piccolo rolled his eyes at Dodoria. "I'm sure you've seen worse than this in space. Quit overreacting."

The teens stared at one another, patting themselves down as they processed their recent separation. Krillin frowned considerately at them. Even though they were Super Saiyans and the blonde hair and teal eyes were throwing Krillin off, the kid with long hair had a striking resemblance to someone he knew.

"So," the long-haired teen said, "it looks like it's time for us to head back."

"Yeah." The other teen cast a smile at Bulma with fondness in his eyes that didn't seem fitting for the situation, but Krillin shrugged it off. "You all should prepare and train, just in case. Several years from now, you're going to have to be ready for the worst-case scenario."

"Yeah." Krillin chuckled humorlessly. "Like what kind of cocky jerk this fusion will be when Vegeta actually manages to work with Goku."

"No." The boy shook his head, smiling. "Things change over time, Krillin. You'll see he's not so bad, after a while."

"Goodbye, everyone." The other boy waved, smiling. "Take care!"

"G-good luck in your time!" Gohan shouted as both teens levitated into the air.

The long-haired teen hesitated a moment, his gaze fixed on Gohan before he darted away. Krillin gasped as he watched them zoom away in that golden aura, over the edge of a cliff to somewhere below. He didn't know why they had to leave in such a hurry. He still had so many questions.

"Where are they going, you guys?"

Krillin glanced back at Bulma's awe-struck expression before looking intently towards that horizon again. When the whoosh of something approaching rang through the air, he balked. It was only a second later that a large aircraft-like machine shot over the ledge of that cliff, blasting into the air. Krillin's eyes followed upwards until he was craning his neck to see the vehicle high in the sky and the two boys waving through the domed window, returned to their base forms. The feeling of familiarity struck again when that black-haired teen smiled and waved, but it was fleeting, as the boys, machine and all, disappeared in a flash.

"They're-" Piccolo grunted, "they're gone!"

"Just like that?" Yamcha said. "I wonder what the hurry was."

"Uh, guys." Krillin grimaced, turning around to see the two who'd been nearly forgotten behind him. "I'm more worried about what's going to happen here and now."

As everyone turned to follow him, Krillin watched the two very still far-off Saiyans with bated breath. They didn't seem to be doing anything but standing beside each other. But once Krillin realized that Goku's hair was black again, and that Super Saiyan glow was slowly receding from Vegeta, he realized the fight had to be over. Those kids actually did it! They managed to end the fight before anyone had to die. Not that Krillin was all that relieved about _Vegeta_ surviving. He was almost disappointed to know _that_ contemptible Saiyan was going to continue inhabiting the Earth.

"Looks like there's nothing to worry about, Krillin." Gohan said. "Dad's powered down."

"That is if Vegeta doesn't decide to attack Goku when his guard's down." Tien balled his fists and scowled towards the two Saiyans. "I'm not ready to let him out of my sight."

"Come _on_ , guys," Bulma laughed, "you heard those guys. Vegeta needs us. He _especially_ needs Goku. He's not going to kill him."

Yamcha blinked at Bulma. "How do you know that?"

"If there's anything I've learned about Vegeta during the time he's spent at Capsule Corporation so far," Bulma smugly raised her brows, "it's that he is completely and totally invested in himself. He wouldn't do anything that might endanger his own life."

Yamcha's elbow lightly prodded Krillin before a hushed voice entered his ears, "sounds like someone we know."

After Krillin chuckled, a little too loudly, he slapped his hands over his mouth under the suspicious glare of Bulma. Shaking his head frantically, he turned his gaze to Piccolo, relieved to hear the Namekian speaking up and saving him.

"Like usual, I'm not happy with this situation. But I feel there's no other choice beyond the obvious."

Dodoria frowned at Piccolo and folded his arms. "Training?"

"Right." Piccolo turned a wry smirk on Dodoria. "You heard those kids. After sinking as low as teaming up with _Goku_ to collect the Dragon Balls and revive all of you for the sake of this planet's survival, I'm not going to sit back now and allow some wizard's conjured monster to be the cause of its destruction in the future."

"Hell." Dodoria huffed. "Is it always this way with you people? What _is_ it about this planet? In the Planet Trade, we fought because we went looking for it. This kind of stuff didn't just keep falling in our laps all the time."

As if on cue, a familiar ki drew near. Krillin looked up to see Goku coming down feet-first for a landing. He stepped aside, giving his friend a wide berth for landing, before taking a cautious glance over his shoulder for Vegeta's presence. But Vegeta was no longer in sight.

When Goku's boots touched down on the rocky ledge, he chuckled. "This is how it's always been, Dodoria. Why? You ain't likin' Earth?"

"Goku," Piccolo snapped before Dodoria could speak, "do you and Vegeta really think you can tolerate being on the same planet without fighting for the next few years?"

As Goku shrugged nonchalantly, Bulma looked around. "Where is Vegeta, anyway?"

"He left." Goku frowned and raised his eyes pensively towards the sky. "I think he went to train, but it's probably a good thing he left. If he stuck around here, he probably would've started fighting me again."

Krillin chuckled. "Vegeta's actually listening to those kids from the future?"

He found it hard to believe, but then maybe Bulma was right. Maybe Vegeta was willing to back off a little if it was required for his own survival. Something about his attitude after talking to that kid seemed different. Krillin suspected the kid had really gotten to him. It would surprise Krillin if just the prospect of being killed in the future by a stronger enemy could make Vegeta accept the idea of living alongside Goku without trying to kill him. But stranger things had happened.

"Seems like it." Yamcha shrugged, drawing Krillin from his thoughts. "When he took off, it looked like he was heading back to Capsule Corp."

"Ooh!" Bulma growled and stomped her foot. "Great. Now I have to babysit him? Why can't he live somewhere else on Earth?"

"If you wanted him to go away, Bulma," Yamcha chuckled, "you shouldn't have built that gravity machine. Aside from food, it seems to be Vegeta's favorite thing on the planet."

"You saw that?" Bulma smiled. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag now. Goku, I guess you'll want to use it, too?"

"Nah." Goku chuckled and waved his hand in refusal. "No way am I gettin' near where Vegeta's training. But those kids said he'll be fine at Capsule Corp, so I ain't worried about you guys."

Gohan beamed at his father. "So you're going to stay home and train?"

"That's right!" Goku ruffled Gohan's hair. "I'm trainin' right here on Mt. Paozu. It'll be a few years before this guy shows up, anyway. We need to rest some, too."

" _You_ rest." Piccolo snorted. "I'm going to focus on my training."

"Hey, uh," Krillin scratched his head, "you guys think we'll know when this new threat's coming? I mean, I don't think those kids told us what he's going to look like or when to expect him exactly."

Gohan frowned. "They just said I'll be grown."

"Right." Tien said. "I'm sure if the threat is that serious, we'll know."

Goku smiled. "There's no way we're going to miss picking up on _that_ kind of power."

"You're excited about this," Piccolo smiled, "aren't you, Goku?"

Goku smiled back. "Excited _and_ scared, if I'm bein' honest."

Krillin frowned. "You should be scared."

The thoughts of the Earth being destroyed was a horrible expectation. And someone strong enough to require Goku and Vegeta combining their power, even after spending years training to be much _stronger_ than Super Saiyans, just seemed like a horrifying enemy. Krillin wasn't sure he wanted to see this future come to fruition, but if anything, he'd take the future they had ahead of them rather than the one those teens lived through. In this timeline, he had a chance of surviving, hopefully marrying, moving on with his life.

Yamcha rubbed his chin. "Goku, do you really think Vegeta will fuse with you when the time comes?"

"Yamcha," Goku made a sour face, "I'm not sure _I'm_ gonna want to do it."

"You two hard-headed Saiyans better get the idea through your thick skulls," Bulma shook her fist at Goku, "because if that's the only way to save the Earth, I am _not_ dying again because of your stupidity!"

Goku blinked. "But you won't die anyway, Bulma. At least, you didn't in _their_ future."

Bulma's mouth fell open. "Oh. Good."

"Still," Yamcha chuckled uneasily, "maybe it's an idea you should consider, Goku, you know? I mean, _I_ don't want to die again."

Krillin shook his head and crossed his arms. "No way. It was painful enough the first time. And I'm not even married yet! My life can't end this way."

Goku clapped Krillin hard on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Krillin! You've still got plenty of time. I'm sure you'll get married before Buu even shows up."

Krillin blinked up at his tall friend. "You think so?"

"Sure." Goku nodded, before turning his gaze on Gohan. "But we'd better get home now and let Chi-Chi know we're all right before she starts throwin' a fit."

Gohan nodded fervently. "Right, Dad."

"Bulma, Yamcha," Goku nodded to each of his friends, "good luck at Capsule Corp. Vegeta can be a real handful."

Bulma blew a raspberry. "Tell me about it."

"Eh," Yamcha placed a hand on Bulma's arm, "I think we'll be fine. Give me a lift home, Bulma? I think I'll take a break from flying, and I don't want to leave Puar waiting much longer."

Tien and Chiaotzu exchanged a glance as Yamcha and Bulma turned for Bulma's Capsule plane. With a wordless nod, they levitated in preparation for taking off.

"Tien, Chiaotzu," Goku waved, "I look forward to seein' how strong you've gotten in a few years."

As Chiaotzu waved back, Tien smirked. "And I look forward to seeing how strong _you've_ gotten. You too, Gohan."

"Dodoria, Piccolo," Goku cocked his head, "are you two comin' back to Mt. Paozu? Were you livin' there or somethin'?" He raised a brow at Gohan. "Or were ya just there for a visit?"

"We were waiting for _you_ , Goku." Piccolo said.

"Though," Dodoria shrugged, "I don't have any other place to go really, and there was a matter of a taste competition you brought up."

Goku's eyes lit. "You mean-"

"He's been having cook-offs with Mom, Dad."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Goku beamed. "You're stayin' with us, Dodoria!"

Gohan smiled at Piccolo. "You too, Piccolo?"

Piccolo cast an uneasy glance at Goku. "I don't know about that, Gohan."

"Why not, Piccolo?" Goku said. "You can stay."

"What'll your _wife_ have to say about that?"

"Oh."

"Yeah," Krillin chuckled, "not the wisest idea, Goku."

"I like living on my own anyways." Piccolo said before smiling down at Gohan. "But don't worry, Kid. I'll visit every once in a while."

"You will?"

" _Someone_ needs to keep an eye on your training. And I'll always be there if you need me."

Krillin gulped at the challenging glare Goku set on Piccolo when their eyes met again. But fortunately, the mood was quickly uplifted when Piccolo turned his gaze to Gohan before turning to walk away.

Goku smiled at Krillin. "What are _you_ goin' to do now, Krillin?"

Krillin shrugged. "Oh. I'll be training at Master Roshi's, of course. I can't believe it after all this time being dead with him, but I already miss the old guy."

Goku smiled fondly. "I bet. I've missed him, too."

"I bet you really missed all of us." Krillin frowned down at his feet. "It must've been hard for you, Goku, when we died."

When Krillin looked up to meet Goku's gaze again, Goku was staring back at Krillin. His eyes were void of that lightness Krillin was so used to seeing from his carefree friend. Just by that look on his face alone, Krillin knew how true his words were. Goku had suffered alone through trials Krillin would've never wanted to endure himself. It was a fate worse than the death that was brought upon Krillin and all the others. All that time, Goku was carrying himself through hardship and challenges, living without them.

"Yeah, Krillin." Goku sighed. "But I'm glad we're all back now."

As Goku smiled, Krillin felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Me, too."

"Good luck with your training, Krillin." Gohan seized Krillin in a quick, unexpected hug. "Say hi to Master Roshi and Turtle for us."

"Oh, yeah!" Goku chuckled sheepishly. "Tell Turtle I'm sorry about leavin' him that other time."

Krillin raised a brow. "Huh?"

Goku waved it off. "He'll know what I mean."

"Well," Krillin reached out to shake Goku's hand, "good luck, Goku. It looks like we're all counting on you again. _And_ Vegeta."

Goku's wide-eyed gaze settled into a somber smile as he took Krillin's hand. "Don't worry, Krillin. I won't let you guys down this time."

"I know you won't."

When Goku released his hand, Krillin lifted it straight in the air. He waved it side to side as he watched Goku and Gohan levitate into the air, waving and smiling back at him. When they took off together in a haze of white aura with Dodoria taking off right behind them to head to Mt. Paozu, Krillin let out a heavy sigh. He was left alone, but only for a moment.

He was going back to Kame House, to be with Master Roshi and Turtle, like old times. He missed the old island. But seeing that no one had been living there for a while, he was going to have to stock up on some supplies before returning. With one last look around the devastated battleground of the wastelands, Krillin took off into the air and zoomed ahead. He waved as he passed Yamcha and Bulma in their plane, before diverting in another direction. The nearest city to Kame Island had a market with plenty of good food. He would just pick up a few things and head back to Master Roshi's to start his training.

Once he reached the store, Krillin couldn't help dwelling on the strange events that had happened recently. He was still adjusting to _life_ in general, let alone the craziness that followed since he'd been back. He was still relieved and stunned that the fight between Goku and Vegeta was interrupted, and seemed to be placed on indefinite hiatus. But that was good. He could live with Vegeta being on the planet, he supposed, as long as Goku was around to keep him in check and as long as they knew Vegeta wasn't going to harm anyone. Krillin had to go along with Goku's trust in what those two teens had to say, unreasonable as it seemed. Something about Goku's optimism was contagious. In spite of a doomed Earth, a mad scientist so bent on revenge that he'd come to the past, and a wizard's monster bound to arise years in their future, Krillin didn't feel worried. He just felt determined to do his best, and make the most of his life in the meantime.

"Sir?"

While the man ahead of him stepped up to the counter to take his order, Krillin wrinkled his money pressed between his fingers. He was debating what meats and cheeses he wanted to order as his eyes drifted across the shiny glass display case. When the shine caught his eye, he tried to peer past the glare, but a moving reflection caught his eye. It wasn't just the reflection that caught his interest, but the appealing face that was reflecting back at him.

With a gasp, Krillin snapped his head to see her sliding past a counter loaded with fruits and vegetables. She had pin-straight blonde hair and the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen. Surprisingly, the young man she was with had nearly identical eyes. Krillin gnawed his bottom lip as he witnessed her covertly rolling an apple into the bag slung over her shoulder, which was conveniently positioned just below the lip of the counter. Just as Krillin's eyes were widening at what he'd witnessed, she turned her eyes on him.

Krillin grumbled to himself, uncertain about what to do now that he'd been caught watching her. Of course, it was _her_ who had been caught, but Krillin didn't feel that way, not when she turned on her heels and headed straight towards him. Krillin looked over his shoulder towards the deli counter, debating whether she was really heading for him or if that was just his imagination. Maybe she was heading for the deli to have a word with the butcher. Maybe she wanted to place an order. Maybe Krillin's knees were going to give out if she came another step closer.

"Hey." She huffed as her eyes narrowed at Krillin. "You want to tell me what you just saw?"

Krillin blurted the first thing that came to mind. "A beautiful woman shopping with her boyfriend."

The woman's eyes bulged before she scowled. "He's _not_ my boyfriend."

"Oh?" Krillin chuckled and rubbed his head. "Well, uh, you and your-"

"Brother."

"You and your brother shop here often?"

A smirk slowly spread across her face. " _Something_ like that."

"Oh," Krillin's voice wavered, even as he tried to keep it together, "me, too."

"Come on, Laz."

"Guess I'll see you around then." 'Laz' turned her gaze from her frowning brother in the doorway to the counter behind him. "You're up."

After releasing a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, Krillin turned to place his order. His mind was scrambled by the interaction he'd just had, but he was able to gather his thoughts enough to order some good food for the island. He was careful not to order too much food. After all, if they were well-stocked, he wouldn't have to leave the island again for more supplies for a good while.

And he wanted to do so again. Soon. He looked forward to seeing the mysterious, troublesome beauty. He hoped she'd be happy to see him again. Maybe Goku wasn't wrong. Goku was never the smartest guy, but he was never wrong about things like this either. If Krillin had to worry about aliens like Dodoria, Piccolo and Vegeta coexisting with him and the rest of humanity on Earth and _more_ future threats to come, at least in the meantime, it was nice to have something pleasant to look forward to.

There would always be new enemies; that was unavoidable. But they could avoid looking to the future with pessimism, and Krillin knew if _he_ could see a bright future ahead of them, the future of Earth wasn't doomed. He knew his best friend was excited about this fight in the future, one which wouldn't follow tragedy, wouldn't be tied to painful memories, and wouldn't be set in the name of avenging the deaths of his loved ones. As long as Goku had all of his friends to help and fight alongside him, Krillin knew he could rely on his best friend to protect them from Majin Buu and anyone else who came along to threaten the Earth.

End.

* * *

 **FINAL A/N:** Ahhh, it's finally finished! First, just to address this chapter, for those of you who might not catch it: "Lazuli" is the name Eighteen had before becoming an android and in this timeline...she never became an android. And Lapis, or Seventeen, would use a nickname, so I hope that last scene wasn't jarring, but with it being a cameo for those two, there wasn't much room to expand on that.

This story is not going into the Majin Buu arc, because honestly this felt like a good place to end it. Things have fallen in line similar to the original story at this point, so the Majin Buu saga wasn't a story that needed to be told, as you readers know the characters and can put the pieces together how things would play out from here. Maybe if enough people want to read it, I could write it as a companion fic at some point, but I really don't feel it's necessary. The same could be said of the alternate timeline of Goten and Trunks' future.

To those of you who have read this thing from the day I started it in 2015 and stuck with it, thank you so much! Every chapter, I looked forward to reading your comments and expectations for the next chapters. The same goes for those of you who started later on but caught up and gave such consistent feedback. Luke, coronadomontes, Mangahero18, SaiyanPrince541, FutureShock, Hektols, Blake2020, daughterofrisingsun, you all commented on every or nearly every chapter and I really appreciate it.

I'd also like to thank Melissa98, Gokuu the Carrot, nancy103, Kyuubifan325, docfrodo2, hayabusa girl, Simgr101, Ryuko mongatari, Inperiosus, divineboss2000, Richardc269, LordCybot, Invader Cole, busisibeko1, and everyone else who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. It ended up with quite a following by the end, and I'm so glad so many of you could enjoy it with me! I always wanted to know how the story could've gone if Raditz was able to take Goku with him, but I never imagined it was going to play out the way it ended in this story. It's been fun.


End file.
